


April Rivals Brings New Lovers

by Blake_Belladonna_Defence_Force



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Super Hero/Villain dynamic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:07:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 43,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23412076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blake_Belladonna_Defence_Force/pseuds/Blake_Belladonna_Defence_Force
Summary: After years of freedom from Adam Taurus, Blake’s living a comfortable life with her best friend and crush Yang Xiao Long.Sure, she’s secretly a “villain” to the rich elite. And yeah, she has to fight the cocky, annoyingly charming Dragon... but life’s not too complicated.Right?
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Bumbleby - Relationship
Comments: 642
Kudos: 1154





	1. Recover

**Author's Note:**

> And here it is! The hero au!
> 
> It’s going to be a hell of a time trying to figure out how to create a story with this month’s prompts but I’m going to do my best!
> 
> Let’s see what story unfolds with our girls this month, eh?

**_8 years ago, 3 years after meeting Adam Taurus…_ **

Blake sighed deeply and brought her tea to her lips as she gazed across the street, watching as younger teenagers ran into the school she sat across from. It was a large school, combining both elementary and secondary education into one facility. Apparently, it was run by the same man that owned the town’s college; Headmaster Ozpin. While he focused on the elementary and secondary education, a woman named Glynda Goodwitch ran operations at the college called Beacon. The very same one that Blake had come to this town to attend. All in hopes of finally getting away from  _ him _ and escaping his malicious influence.

She could have a fresh start here. A new beginning. She could take everything she had learned from Adam and use it to help this town. She could use her skills and technology and grow and learn so that the rich elite wouldn’t be able to take advantage of those that they used as doormats and step ladders.

After all… there was too much injustice to just stand by and do nothing.

“Hey! Stop! Just leave me alone!”

Blake’s feline ears perked up, her amber eyes narrowing as she watched a young girl in a red hoodie and jeans carrying a school project, most likely in her first year of high school, being approached by a group of older boys. Blake bit back a growl when the girl flinched away when one the boys, a young man with blue eyes and brown hair, ruffled her red tipped hair roughly.

“Aw, c’mon, Red. Let’s see your stupid little project…”

Blake felt her jaw clench as the boys continued to taunt and tease the young girl. Wordlessly, she slipped out of her seat, hefted her bag over her shoulder and casually strolled over, making herself appear uninterested in the whole affair. Just as she reached the other side of the road, one of the bullies knocked the girl’s project to the ground, where it broke on impact.

“What’s wrong with you?!” The girl snapped, frustrated and angry tears filling her silver eyes. “You’re such a jerk!”

“Watch it, brat! I could-“

“You could what? Take out your fragile masculinity on a girl who’s three to four years younger than you?” Blake said cooly as she forced her way in between the girl and her aggressors. They were substantially bigger than the young girl. If they turned physical, she wouldn’t stand a chance.

Blake, however, was familiar with physical aggression. God knew that Adam had shown it enough times…

“You’re seventeen years old, right?” Blake pointed out as she stepped forward and glared up at the young man challengingly. “So why are you harassing a twelve year old girl?”

“Thirteen, actually.”

“Thirteen.” Blake corrected herself, smirking slightly when the girl snickered. “My point still stands. Are you so fragile that you have to pick on a young girl just to make yourself feel powerful? Are you that insecure? That pathetic?”

“Shut. Up.”

“You’re going to have to make me.” Blake growled, stepping forward and bracing her body. After three years with Adam and his cause, she knew how to take a hit. And it was better her than this young girl. At least she could give this guy something to remember her by. 

“You- it- I-“ the boy sputtered angrily before turning on his heels with an angry snarl, his buddies following shortly after. 

“Well,” Blake snorted, turning around and rolling her eyes at the girl. “He certainly knows how to put me in my place. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. That was Cardin. He always does stuff like this.” The girl looked down sadly at her project and sighed heavily. “I just… have to throw it out and start again, I guess.”

“Hang on a minute…” Blake said, her mind moving quickly as she looked down at the broken pieces. She smiled reassuringly at the young girl as she bent down to examine it quickly. “Don’t be so hasty. We can totally fix this.”

“We? You mean you’re going to help me?”

“Of course. Don’t you know that a hero never leaves a job half finished?” Blake said with a playful smile, mentally sighing in relief when the girl’s eyes lit up and she let out an amused laugh. “I’m kidding. But I want to help. Come on. Let's take this thing over to that bench and I’ll help you fix it.”

As Blake helped the girl, she learned a great many things from her. The first being that her name was Ruby Rose. The next was that she had a big sister named Yang. The third was that she was a rather excitable chatterbox. It was endearing but also somewhat draining as Blake tried to follow the multiple trains of conversation.

“I’m going to study to work in labs and stuff when I grow up.” Ruby said with a determined smile. “I want to research diseases and help find cures and vaccines and stuff. I want to make sure that nobody has to lose somebody to cancer or whatever one day.”

“That’s very ambitious, Ruby.” Blake said softly, smiling at her as they worked. 

“Well… not all heroes wear capes. Some of them wear lab coats. Like my mum did.”

Blake pauses and carefully observed Ruby as she fell quiet, an obvious pain hidden in her gaze. Perhaps, Ruby had a more personal reason for wanting to be a scientist.

“Thank you for helping me, Blake.” Ruby said sheepishly as they finished their work. “You’re really cool.”

“Yes, well… us nerds have to stick together.” Blake chuckled awkwardly, before quirking a curious brow when Ruby groaned.

“God. You sound just like my sister. She’d love yo-“ Ruby cut herself off with an excited gasp as she stared at Blake with a wide grin. “You said that you’re going to Beacon, right? Yang is too! Maybe you guys will meet! You could even be friends or whatever!”

“Uh,” Blake said awkwardly, unsure as to how to respond to the younger girl’s excitement. “May-“

“Ruby! Hey, sis! You oka- who’s that?”

Blake jumped and looked up as a girl her age with blonde hair and warm lilac eyes approached. She was well built and athletic looking. She wore blue jeans and a yellow flannel, with combat boots that completed her look. Her gaze was curious as she observed Blake, who suddenly felt a little too warm, even in her black tank top.

“Yang! This is Blake! She stepped in with Cardin earlier and she even helped me fix my project! She’s going to go Beacon too!”

“Oh? Is that so?” Yang said thoughtfully as she ruffled Ruby’s hair affectionately before looking at Blake with a grateful smile. “Well… thank you, Blake. I’m Yang.”

“So I heard.” Blake said with a small smirk as she stood and held out her hand. “Sorry, but I really should be heading to the college. But maybe… I’ll see you around?”

“You can bet on it.”

Blake smiled softly and turned, heading back towards the cafe where she had parked her car. 

What a start to the school year this was turning out to be.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

**_Present day…_ **

Eight years ago, she had escaped Adam and his malicious plans. For three years, she had watched him use his powers for the wrong thing. Right up until she could stand it no longer and so, she ran. She found freedom, been able to recover and made a new home. 

Granted, her attempts to use her skills and technology for good had been painted by the media in a negative light. But she knew that what she was doing was right, even if the world saw her as just another bad guy.

The poor were suffering while the rich thrived. The elite used those beneath them as stepping stones. Somebody had to stop them.

And hey, if that meant that her alter ego was the bad guy… then she would be the bad guy.

At least, in her civilian life, Blake could be a normal twenty five year old woman, living with her best friend and long time crush Yang Xiao Long. She might have a secret life where she’s constantly going up against the town’s resident super hero Dragon as she tries to change the way their town let the rich get away with murder… but at least she had some normalcy.

How complicated could it possibly get?


	2. Noble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As so, we see a hero’s origin story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 - Noble
> 
> I’m so happy y’all liked the first chapter! I hope that you like this one too 😊

**_18 years ago…_ **

  
  


“Look, Ruby! It’s a dragon!” A nine year old Yang grinned at her baby sister as they sat on the floor of Ruby’s room, the five year old’s bright silver eyes lighting up as she watched fire consume Yang’s hands, the flames shifting as Yang manipulated them to form a dragon. 

“It’s pretty!” Ruby giggled, her face an expression of awe as she watched. She let out a squeal of delight when Yang made the dragon dance a silly little jig, smiling happily at the laughter that her baby sister gave. “Make her fly!”

Yang hesitated for a moment. Her parents wanted her to learn to control her powers. They told her that practice made perfect. She had never made her flames leave her hands. 

What if something went wrong?

“I don’t know, Ruby.” Yang said nervously, watching as the dragon stopped and sat in her cupped hands. “I’ve never done something like that before.”

“But she’s a dragon!” Ruby pouted, crossing her little arms. “She’s meant to fly.”

“I- I guess so.” Yang said, biting her cheek nervously. “And mum and dad do want me to get better so… maybe I should try it. But only if you stay behind me!”

Ruby gasped excited and moved to stand behind Yang, bouncing up and down on the spot. 

Yang focused as much as she could on the fire within her hands and sent it out into the room, an elated laugh leaving her as her little fire dragon started to fly. It traveled across the room, looping and tumbling through the air effortlessly. Yang grinned to herself, feeling proud of her accomplishment.

‘Maybe I really can control it?’ She thought to herself. ‘Mum is going to be so proud!’

But as time went by and the sun started to set, Yang started to feel her powers drain. And as her powers drained, she began to lose focus, becoming more and more tired. 

And that was all it took for disaster to strike.

“Oh, grapes!” Yang yelped, her lilac eyes widening in horror as her dragon suddenly flew at her. She threw herself to the ground, completely unaware that Ruby was still standing directly behind her.

The sound of her sister’s blood curdling scream would haunt her for many years to come.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

**_13 years later…._ **

After the accident that left her baby sister’s forehead scarred, Yang refused to use her powers ever again. She was terrified of hurting somebody she cared about once more and blatantly refused to use them.

Until the moment her mother, laying on her deathbed, begged her to learn to control them. The fear in her mother’s eyes, the terror that Yang might never learn to control it, had been enough for Yang to at least learn to have control over her powers, even if she still refused to use them. She had taken up martial arts so she could learn discipline, how to control her body and how to focus. But still, she refused to use her powers… until one day came that changed all of that.

“Fuck!” Yang, now twenty-two, coughed violently into her arm as her office building burned. The smoke was so thick that she could barely see her hand in front of her face. Her lungs were burning painfully and her eyes watered as she desperately tried to escape the flames. She was beyond terrified that she was going to die…

But then, she saw the familiar shape of Cardinal, the town’s resident superhero. He kept them safe and regularly went up against the resident villain Black Poison. Yang tried to call out but stopped when he looked at her. Their eyes met and, as a piece of the burning roof feel in between them, Yang realised something;

He wasn’t going to save her.

The man responsible for protecting their town turned tail and ran. Ran out of the building, leaving everyone in it to die, just to save his own skin.

“No…” Yang croaked, her body finally giving out as the smoke became thicker and thicker, the fire getting closer to her. She fell to her knees, coughing and gasping desperately as her vision started to darken…

Until a sound like that of a cracking whip was heard. She glanced up and saw none other than Black Poison herself, wearing a form fitting black crop top with an intricate cutout design across the neck underneath a long, black and purple leather coat. She wore leather pants with heeled combat boots and hid her face with an almost cat eye shaped mask. Her hair was cut into a chin length bob, delicate curls framing her face and two black cat ears poked out from it. Two purple straps crossed across her chest where she was sure to keep two of her three weapons, the third was coiled tightly in her right hand.

“Hang on.” Black Poison yelled, her lips twisting into a grimace as she grabbed Yang and pulled into her arms. She wrapped a firm arm around Yang’s waist and used the other to grip her ribbon, her black fingerless glove lighting up as she activated it. “I’m getting you out of here.” 

Yang, barely coherent, coughed into Black Poison’s shoulder, barely noticing when the villainess swung her ribbon and pulled them both out of the building, landing on the roof before using her ribbon to swing them down to safety. She gently laid Yang down and rubbed her back, encouraging her to take deep breaths. 

“My- my co-workers!” Yang gasped, voice rough and ragged. “They’re still in there!”

“Cardinal-“

“Cardinal abandoned us!” Yang interrupted, her voice cracking as she stared desperately up at the masked woman. “He looked right at me and he left me to die! He left all of us to die! He’s meant to be a hero so why did he leave us?!” Yang shivered violently, swearing for a moment that the gentle touch on her back felt familiar somehow. But that was impossible… right?

“He did, did he?” Black Poison growled, her voice filled with barely contained rage. Her golden eyes glowed with a fury that Yang had only seen in photos and in videos. “Stay here. The paramedics will be here shortly.”

“Wait!” Yang yelled as Black Poison walked back towards the burning building. “What are you doing?!”

“I may be a villain, but I am no monster.” The woman said, her voice filled with a steely determination. “I am  _ not _ going to let innocent people come to harm.” Black Poison paused for a moment before looking over her shoulder and smiling… almost sadly at Yang, something close to an apology in her gaze. “There’s a balance in this world, Miss Xiao Long. When someone makes a choice that disrupts that balance, somebody else has to step up and make one that balances it back out. If Cardinal is going to chose to be a coward, then somebody else has to be the hero, even if it’s just for a moment.” Her smile turned into a soft smirk as sirens blared in the distance. “It might as well be me.”

Yang watched in shock as Black Poison, notorious for her “Eat the rich” belief and punishment system, ran back into the burning building, leaving the young reporter flabbergasted, even as the medical team rushed to assist her.

As she was bundled up into the ambulance, two thoughts ran through her mind, the first being that her roommate and best friend,Blake, was probably terrified and definitely going to losing her mind with worry.

The other was Black Poison’s parting words; somebody had to make the choice to balance it out.

If Blake Poison could make that noble choice, then maybe… just maybe, so, too, could Yang.


	3. Mail Carrier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, years after the day that would set Yang’s drive for good ablaze, we see a small peak into the current relationship between Blake and Yang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 - Mail carrier 
> 
> ...
> 
> I was not happy with this prompt at all 😅

**_2 years after the fire, present day..._ **

When Blake walked into her living room that evening with letters she had just picked up from their mail carrier, she had not been expecting to be body tackled by her best friend and roommate. Then again, they had been living together since they were 17 and attending college so perhaps that was on her.

“Blake! Hey!” Yang grinned, her lilac eyes sparkling as she hoisted Blake up into her arms and spun, earning a surprised squeal. When they came to a stop, she kept her arms around Blake’s waist, smiling brightly at her.

“He-Hey, Yang.” Blake felt heat creep up her neck towards her cat ears, her breath hitching ever so slightly. Yang was close enough that Blake could map out constellations in the freckles that painted her face, only further emphasising just how pretty Yang was. 

“Hey!” Yang chirped cheerily again, her smile becoming more charming and wheedling. “How’s my favourite engineer? Good? Say, has anyone told you that you look positively radiant today? Seriously?! How are you single?”

‘Because you’re not interested.’ Blake thought to herself, trying to wiggle out of Yang’s grasp.

“Yang.” She sighed, pushing away from Yang, her ears pinning against her head for a brief moment as she crossed her arms. “What do you want?”

“What? A girl can’t compliment her best friend?”

“ _ Yang.” _

“... you know me too well, you know that?” Yang’s grin became much more sheepish, her hand reaching up to run her neck awkwardly. Blake bit back a groan, mentally wondering why Yang had to be so goddamn cute doing something so goddamn mundane. “So… you know how I’ve been trying to befriend Weiss Schnee? From work?”

Blake let out an over exaggerated snort of exasperation. Yang was one of the Vale Times top reporters, somehow getting exclusive interviews with the resident hero and snagging photos of her close up in battle. And lately, she had come to the decision that one of her co-workers needed a friend.

‘She’s going to get herself killed. I’m going to fight Dragon one of these days and Yang’s going to get caught in the crossfire and I’m going to have to save her.’ Blake mentally grumbled to herself. ‘God. She’s going to give me grey hairs. Not to mention how insufferable Dragon would be.’

“I am aware, Yang. Doesn’t she hate you?”

“No! She’s just lonely and using her attitude as a method of keeping people at a distance as a defensive mechanism.” Yang huffed before quirking a brow at Blake and smirking. “Sound familiar?”

“Shut up.” Blake grumbled, pouting and looking away. While she had liked Yang immediately, it had still taken some time for her to completely trust Yang.

“You know I’m just teasing.” Yang soothed, walking over and pulling Blake into a hug, swaying from side to side, earning a wordless grumble. “But you’d like her, I think.”

“You literally called her a “cold, heartless bitch” a month ago.”

“Yeah… but now I know better.” Yang pulled back smiled nervously at Blake. “So… anyway… Blake, my buddy, my pal, my best friend whom I love and respect-“

“Stop wheedling and get to the damn point, Yang.”

“Can Weiss come over for movie night? Please?”

Blake blinked, her chest tightening for a moment as jealousy flared. Their movie nights, filled with junk food and marathons of films, had always been very much a “Blake and Yang” thing. It was their way to wind down in college, to relax and find some time away from the craziness of campus. As they had gotten older and busier, Blake had come to cherish the nights where they could just watch movies well into the early morning, giggling and teasing, just like their college days. They were important to her.

But she pushed her feelings down. Yang was so excited about befriending Weiss. How could Blake possibly put a damper on that?

“Fine.”

“Really? Great!” Yang’s pleased smile almost instantly turned guilty as she played with her hair. “Because I kind of already invited her and I don’t want to look like a dick.”

Blake felt a sharp pang in her chest. Yang hadn’t even thought to ask her first? She felt her ears pull back at the idea that these nights weren’t as special to Yang as they were to her. She knew that her feelings were one sided… but the fear of losing Yang’s friendship tore at her. She was okay with just having Yang as a friend and the idea of losing it made her stomach drop.

“You already-“ Blake inhaled sharply and glared up at Yang, hiding her hurt behind irritation. “A little warning next time, maybe?” Blake huffed and turned on her heel and walked into the kitchen, ignoring the way her heart twisted painfully. 

“I’m sorry! I swear it won’t happen again!” Yang said quickly as she followed Blake, lilac gaze soft and concerned. “I know it’s our thing but-“

“It’s fine, Yang.” Blake sighed, forcing a smile. “I just… would like some warning next time. And I’d prefer it if you checked in with me beforehand, please.”

“Yeah! Of course, Blake.” Yang said softly as she held open her arms with a nervous grin. “Still friends? Still love me?”

“Unfortunately for my sanity, you big dope.” Blake muttered, rolling her eyes and stepping into Yang’s arms, tucking her nose into Yang’s collar and subtly inhaling deeply.

“Good. Because you’re my best friend and I love you.” Yang murmured softly as she pulled Blake tight against her. “You know that, right?”

“Yeah. I do.”

‘Just not the way I want you to.’ Blake thought to herself sadly, burying her face into Yang’s broad shoulder. 

This was better than nothing. She’d have to live with that.

She’d also have to do something about Yang’s tendency to get close to her and Dragon’s battles. She couldn’t let her get hurt. 

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Ugh. Wha- where- where am I?”

“Relax, Miss Xiao Long. You’re safe and sound.”

“Fuck. It’s you.”

“Ouch. You wound me.” Blake forced a grin. It wasn’t easy to kidnap her best friend, both in terms of physically doing it and mentally being able to make herself do it but she knew that she couldn't break her alter ego’s persona. Not when it came to a reporter as sharp as Yang. “Tell me… how  _ is  _ my favourite little reporter?”

“How about you untie me and we see how little I am?” Yang growled, her eyes narrowing at Blake. “What do you want, Black Poison? In case you forgot, kidnapping me isn’t gonna do you any favours now that Cardinal’s gone.”

“I think it is.” Blake purred, noting the way Yang swallowed thickly as she stood and threw her jacket to the side and casually strolled towards her. “Because it has come to my attention that somebody is getting some rather impressive inside scoops on mine and Dragon’s fights. This same somebody is able to get some amazing shots of our battles and has even gotten exclusive interviews with the mighty Dragon herself.”

“Right place, right time.” Yang said stubbornly. Blake bit back a snort. She knew Yang would say something like that.

“Or maybe… you’re closer to Dragon than you let people know.”

“What- What do you mean?” Yang said, her face paling slightly. It made Blake’s heart ache to be the cause of such a reaction but she knew she had to try to get Yang to step back.

“I think…” Blake murmured as she walked up to the chair she had Yang tied to and placed her hands on Yang’s knees and leaned forward so that their noses brushed. She was instantly grateful for the shadows that darkened her face and hid her flush from Yang. “That you’re friends with her. You know her. She helps you. And you make her look good in turn.”

“I don’t exactly talk shit about you, either.” Yang said, a distinct flush on her face that Blake’s sensitive faunus sight picked up on. “Maybe I’m just an unbiased third party with amazing skills. I’m not the best for nothing, you know.”

“No. I suppose not.” Blake chuckled bitterly, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “But unfortunately, your colleagues don’t seem to agree.”

“Is that why you go by the name they gave you? Because it’s easier to not fight it?”

“If Vale wants me to be the bad guy… then I guess I’m the bad guy.” Blake growled lowly as she stood up, shaking her head with an angry snort. She should have that Yang would pick up on that. “Consider this a polite warning, Miss Xiao Long… stay away from fights that don’t concern you.”

“Or what? You gonna tie me up again? Because you do this an awful lot.” Yang huffed irritably. “You did it when Cardinal thought I was his damsel in distress and purposely put me into dangerous situations just so he could save me and now you’re gonna do it because you think I know Dragon. I don’t have the information you want, woman.”

“... you’re going to get yourself killed.”

“Eh, I live for a little danger.” 

Blake felt her eyes widen behind her mask when Yang winked at her, a sly smile on her face as Blake took a step back. That was unexpected.

Blake his her surprise behind a derisive snort and walked up to Yang and carefully placed a mask over her mouth, safely knocking her out with harmless sleep gas. She hated this more than she could express but she had to try to get Yang to back off.

But, as she had learned, Yang wasn’t backing off.

‘I’ve also learned that, apparently, my alter ego is more attractive to her than I am.’ Blake thought to herself with a sigh, as she untied Yang and carefully held her close and carried her home.

She’d have to be careful from now on. Now that she knew for a fact that Yang was close during her fights with Dragon, she’d have to try to keep her safe.

Blake simply loved Yang too much to lose her in capacity. Even if her feelings were one sided, she’d do everything she could, to keep Yang safe.


	4. Set

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dragon makes an attempt with Blake... and it doesn’t exactly go the way she had wanted it to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 4 - Set

Yang stood, laying in wait within Blake’s office. As the head engineer and CEO of Belladonna Tech, the woman had a lot of responsibility. But, Yang supposed, that’s what happened when you brought your family’s business back from the grave. It had taken a while and Yang had seen first hand how it had impacted Blake. Held her as she cried frustrated tears, listened to her as she ranted and raved and, on more than one occasion, threw Blake over her shoulder and made her take care of herself. 

But the worst moment came two years into Blake’s rebuilding of her family’s company, when a megacorp had bought the company out from under Blake, with the woman running it, Cinder Fall, being  _ so kind _ as to allow Belladonna Tech to keep its original name and to keep Blake on as CEO of the company. This unfortunately meant that Blake had to answer to Cinder… something that Yang knew. Blake despised with all of her being.

Black Poison had made her big debut six months later, attacking the companies associated with Cinder Fall. Which was why she was here as Dragon. After a year of fighting Cardinal, Black Poison has unwittingly spawned her net nemesis Dragon after saving Yang from a fire. Yang still didn’t know why. 

She had spent the past two years protecting other businesses from Black Poison, trying to keep them as safe as possible. But the villainess had never gone after Belladonna Tech. And yet, she still used technology that Yang knew could only be designed by Blake and her team. Black Poison must be stealing from Blake somehow. And Yang couldn’t let it happen again. 

“Dragon… I’ve told you before. If you want to speak with me, you can book an appointment like a normal person.” Blake sighed wearily as she entered the office and glared at Yang as she stepped out from behind the large curtain in front of her window. “And would it kill you to use the door?!”

“Sorry, ba-“

“Call me babe and I’m throwing you off of the damn balcony.”

“Feisty.” Yang chuckled as she adjusted her golden, dragon head-shaped half helmet, her blonde hair flowing from the top of it. Her golden armour clinked lightly as she walked, her smirk visible to Blake underneath. “I like that in a woman.”

“Aw… how sweet.” Blake deadpanned as she dropped a folder into her table and glared up at Yang. “Especially since I don’t like you at all. Now stop with the flirting and tell me what you want.”

“You break my heart.”

“Start talking, Gecko.”

“Dragon!” Yang growled, pointing her finger at a rather unimpressed Blake. “Dra-gon!”

“Uh huh. I’m a busy woman, Goanna. Tell me what you want.”

“... I am trying to help you.” Yang huffed, crossing her arms and cocking a hip. “Like the countless times I have before? Maybe a little thank you?” Yang said with a playful grin, remembering the various times that she had had to swoop in and save a very irritated Blake when some thug or other tried to go after her.

“What? Like a kiss on the cheek?” Blake quirked a brow, distinctly unamused. “Sorry. But no.”

“That’s not- you’re a very difficult woman to flirt with. You know that?”

“Because I don’t like you.”

“You sure about that?” Yang smirked as she leaned into Blake, hoping for  _ something. _ “The beautiful and alluring CEO of Belladonna Tech with the mighty Dragon? Talk about a power coup-“

“Is that my tech?” Blake suddenly interrupted her, her amber gaze locked into Yang’s collar. Before Yang could respond, Blake’s hand snaked out and pulled her down, examining the steel. “That’s my symbol. Have you been  _ stealing my technology?!” _

“What? No!” Yang mentally panicked. Blake shared a lot of her work with Yang, completely trusting her. The only people that knew about it were Yang’s younger sister Ruby and Ruby’s girlfriend Penny, the latter of whom helped reverse engineer Blake’s tech for Dragon’s gear. “It was- it was a gift!”

“A gift?” Blake growled, her voice low and dangerous. “My family’s company was stolen out from under me. You’ll have to forgive me for being a little suspicious when it comes to my work.”

“Apology accepted.”

“Oh, I wasn’t apologising.” Blake said sharply as she let go of Yang's collar , stepped back and leaned on her desk, her amber eyes now a burning, molten gold that sent a shiver down Yang’s spine. 

‘God. I keep forgetting how hot Blake is when she’s mad.’ She thought to herself weakly.

“I’m just letting you know; if I so much as think that you’re stealing from me, then I  _ will _ make you regret it with every fibre of your being. Do I make myself clear?” Blake demanded, a clear order in her voice, her ears pricking forward in a clear challenge. “I will  _ not  _ lose anymore of my family’s company than I already have. Understood?”

“Then you really should focus on Blake Poison. I’ve fought her often enough to recognise your tech.” Yang said lowly, stepping back and walking towards the balcony behind her. “I’m not here to hurt you or your family’s company, Blake. I want to help you.”

“You sure about that?.” Blake laughed bitterly, hanging her head low, her long hair falling in front of her face. There was a pained tone to her voice, one that spoke of all of the pain she had been put through in her young life. “Because you don’t seem to give a rat’s ass about anyone other than the elite members of our society.”

“That’s not true. And in case you’ve forgotten, you happen to be one of them.”

“And yet, I do my part in taking care of our vulnerable citizens.” Blake growled lowly, finally lifting her head and staring Yang down. “You’re not a bad person. You clearly want to do what’s right. But I find it very hard to like the woman that’s protecting the people that are slowly killing the one thing that I have left of my family.”

Yang felt her heart crack at the hitch in Blake’s voice, as she turned her head to hide the tears from Yang.

“Miss Bella-“

“Just go.” Blake muttered. “Don’t worry about Black Poison. We’re going to up security. Just… please. Go.”

“I- very well. Have a good night.” Yang nodded respectfully at Blake and launched off of the balcony, activating her rocket boots and flying to the top of a nearby building and sat, looking out over the town she protected. 

Even those who didn’t deserve it.

“Man.” Yang groaned as she fell onto her back. “I just keep fucking up with Blake lately. First, the whole bringing Weiss into our movie night thing, and now this.” She truly hated being the cause of those black cat ears pinning back. She despised being the reason why Blake’s eyes had taken on an expression of hurt twice in less than twenty-four hours.

She’d have to find a way to make it up to Blake. God knew she loved the woman too much to bear the thought of hurting her. She had to apologise.

Blake was so important to her. She adored her, loved her, and wanted to spend the rest of her life with her. She couldn’t risk losing her… even if Blake didn’t share her feelings.

Blake’s friendship was more than enough.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Good evening, bud! Have a good day?”

Yang watched nervously as Blake stared at their table, her head tilted in sleepy confusion as she stared at the tuna casserole that had taken Yang hours to perfect.

Just ask all of her failures that she planned on taking to a local homeless shelter.

“That’s… tuna casserole.”

“Yup!”

“I… haven’t had that since I was a kid.” Blake murmured softly as she placed her bag on the counter and inhaled deeply, a small, nostalgic smile starting to grow, despite the bone deep weariness that Yang could see in her eyes. “My mum used to make it all of the time.”

“I know. And I also know that you’ve been having an awful time at work. With everything that’s happened, I know that you’ve been… hurting.” Yang fidgeted nervously again and gave Blake an apologetic look. “And I know that… it takes a lot out of you. It uses a lot of mental energy and that our movie nights help you recover from that. I didn’t stop to think about that when I invited Weiss over and I’m so sorry about that. I’m really sorry, Blake. You’re my best friend. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

Blake stared at her blankly for a moment before dropping her head and covering her mouth. Yang soon felt her heart drop when a muffled sob escaped her and she quickly moved to Blake and pulled her into her arms, a concerned noise escaping her throat as Blake burrowed into her neck.

“I’m- I’m sorry.” Blake sniffled into her shoulder, her voice cracking as she tried to regain control of her emotions. “I just… it’s… losing my family’s company felt like losing them all over again and every day at work is just an uphill battle and I just…”

“Shhh.” Yang hushed gently as Blake’s tears silently hit her neck. She ran her hand over Blake’s back, rubbing soothing circles along her spin. “It’s okay. You have nothing to apologise for.”

“It takes so much out of me.” Blake mumbled into her neck, her hands gripping Yang’s shirt tightly. “I just want one night each week where I can just be  _ me. _ I’m not a CEO. I’m not a lead engineer. I don’t have to worry about reporting to Cinder. I can just have a quiet night in with my best friend without expendating mental energy that I don’t have.”

“Oh.”

“I’m fine if it’s somebody I know, like Ruby or Penny and if I have the proper time to mentally prepare my introverted ass.” Blake sighed as she pressed her nose into the crook of Yang’s neck. “But somebody I don’t know? That’s just adding to the energy expenditure.”

“Energy that you don’t have because of work.”

“Exactly.”

“... give me a minute.” Yang said softly as she pulled away from Blake and pulled out her scroll and sent Weiss a quick message. “There. I’m going to reschedule with Weiss another time. When we  _ all _ have the energy to spare.”

“Yang… you didn’t-“

“Yes, I did.” Yang said softly, apologetically smiling at her friend. “I shouldn’t have done that without talking to you first. I can catch up with Weiss any time. If you need those movie nights to recover? Then they’re all yours. I guess… I forgot that not everyone gets charged by social interaction. I’m sorry.”

“Yang…” Blake said with a soft watery laugh, wiping her eyes and stepping close to Yang pulling her into a hug. “Thank you for understanding.”

“No need. But please talk to me about this stuff. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t speak up when you’re uncomfortable.”

“Okay. Yeah, sure.”

“Eight years of friendship. You’d think we’d be beyond this by now.”

“You got excited. You forgot.” Blake said softly, tucking her head under Yang’s jaw affectionately. “I get it.”

“I still feel bad.”

“Don’t. I’m just… drained with everything happening with the company.” Blake sighed softly before pulling back and smiling up at Yang tiredly. “Now… about that casserole?”

Yang laughed quietly and guided Blake to sit down at the table and began serving up their plates. She could still see the pain in Blake’s eyes, still see just how  _ tired  _ she was, as she set Blake’s down in front of her. And she mentally promised herself to continue supporting her friend the best that she could.

Her friendship with Blake was too valuable to lose.


	5. Carrot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Blake and Yang finally get their movie night, we get to see how Black Poison and Dragon’s dynamic works...
> 
> But perhaps... things aren’t exactly the way they used to be than when they first met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 5 - Carrot
> 
> Carrot. Fucking... carrot! I had a time and a half figuring this one out but hopefully y’all like what I went with.

“She stabbed him in the fucking neck with a fucking carrot?!” Blake yelled, her ears pinning back as the main female lead launched towards her stalker and, as Blake had said, stabbed him in the neck with a carrot. “What the fuck?! You’re in a kitchen filled with actual knives and you choose to brandish a goddamn carrot?!”

Blake ignored Yang as her best friend fell into hysterics at the other end of the couch and leaned forward and grabbed her chocolate covered licorice bites from the coffee table before curling up in her seat again, quietly seething.

“It wasn’t even a sharp carrot. It had the tip chopped off. It was blunt. And there is no way that Noodle Arm McGee had the strength in her limp noodle arms to jam it into his throat.” Blake grumbled as she nibbled at a licorice bite. “Fucking carrot.”

“Oh my God.” Yang laughed, holding her stomach as she giggled helplessly. “This is why I love watching slashers with you. Your reactions are always priceless, Blake.”

“I’m just saying that it would take a lot more physical force than she is capable of!” Blake defended, her cheeks flushing as she glared at Yang. “What’s she going to do next? Stab a man with celery? Shoot somebody with an avocado?”

“Is this a genius, head engineer thing? Because it sounds like a genius, head engineer thing.” Yang teased, laughing brightly when Blake growled and pouted at her. Blake quirked an eyebrow and smirked when Yang yawned and forgot to cover her mouth. Blake took aim with a licorice bite and threw it into Yang’s yawning mouth, grinning smugly when Yang sputtered indignantly.

“Fuck!” Yang gagged, spitting out the bite and wiping her tongue with her hands dramatically. “You know I hate licorice!”

“Do I?” Blake hummed thoughtfully, lifting her feet and resting her legs across Yang’s lap, smirking as Yang glowered at her. “I don’t recall you ever saying that.”

“I question my friendship with you sometimes.”

“I can’t say I blame you.” Blake said with a shrug, ignoring the sharp pang in her chest. The fear from two days ago still resided in her chest that this was only a fleeting friendship, one that Yang would grow bored of sooner or later. “Ask any of my board members. I’m not an easy woman to get along with, apparently.”

“Passionate people rarely are.” Yang said softly, squeezing Blake’s calves affectionately, smiling softly at her when Blake looked over at her. “You’re dedicated and hardworking. You take no shit from anyone and take control. It’s intimidating to some people, I guess. But I’ve always… thought that it was pretty cool. We literally met because you saved my baby sister from a group of bullies. Anyone that thinks that you’re anything less than amazing can go- can go get... get stabbed by a carrot?”

“Yang!” Blake laughed, covering her mouth with her hand as her heart slowly melted. She smiled behind her hand at Yang and sighed, playfully nudging her thigh with her foot. “Thank you.”

“Of course!” Yang grinned brightly at Blake, her lilac eyes sparkling as she cuffed Blake’s knee with a cheeky wink. “You’re my best friend! It’s my job to remind you how awesome you are! Now… there’s a sequel we can watch.” Yang smirked playfully at Blake. “Wanna see how bad it is? We might get to see more veggie weapons.”

Blake rolled her eyes and nodded, shifting to get more comfortable in her seat, even as her heart ached.

It really was amazing how Yang’s words could somehow simultaneously be the flames that burned her or the soothing balm that healed her.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Blake landed on the Schnee Art Gallery and growled low in her throat. She had come to retrieve some artwork stolen from Menagerie culture and hoped to return it to it’s home… but the sight of a familiar figure stopped her.

“Dragon.” Blake purred, flexing her hands and sending a signal to her ribbon to curl back at her right hip. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Hey, BP. ‘Sup.” Dragon saluted, leaning against a wall, her lips twisting into a sly smirk. “How’s my favourite perp?”

“So-So. I’ll be better once I get my job done.”

“And what’s your payroll?”

“Nothing more than the pleasure of returning artwork to its original home. Where it belongs.” Blake growled, narrowing her eyes at Dragon as she stood and strolled towards her. “Don’t think that you’re going to stop me, Golden Girl.” Blake smirked and raised her hands to her ninjitsu blades at her back, lifting them over her shoulders and rotating her wrists confidently. Her smirk grew when Dragon’s throat bobbed, her jaw clenching slightly as her gaze ran over Blake for a moment before she shook her head and sighed heavily. “And if I remember correctly, your powers are most powerful during the day. Since its nighttime, you’re at a disadvantage, Dragon.”

“I still have my hand to hand.” Dragon said lowly as she got into position, her head tilting for a moment before she smirked cockily at Blake and gave her a “come hither” gesture. “C’mon, BP. Come and get it.”

And so, their standard, weekly fight ensued. Blake swung with her swords and growled at each successful block her opponent gave. She grinned and snarled as Dragon used her arms and legs to strike back, slamming her knees into Blake’s stomach and palm striking her jaw. Blake grew frustrated when Dragon dodged her ribbon, apparently having learned from their previous fights that Blake liked to plant ambushes.

It probably didn’t help that Blake wasn’t in a good headspace right at that moment.

Blake let out a grunt as Dragon dodged under her swords and gripped her wrists and pressed against a nerve, forcing her to drop her weapons before slamming her against the building to the stairwell. Both women stood panting, breaths mingling as Blake glared at the woman pinning her against the concrete wall.

“What’s wrong? Is somebody losing her touch?” Dragon chuckled, tilting her head and smirking under her dragon shaped half helmet, her golden body armour glinting in the moonlight. “You usually put up more of a fight.”

“Maybe I’m distracted. I have a life outside of kicking your ass, you know.” Blake huffed, before allowing her lips to twist into a coy smile. “Or maybe… I can’t bring myself to complain about being pinned by the mighty Dragon of Vale.”

“Uh-“ Dragon froze, her exposed cheeks and neck becoming a bright shade of red. Blake bit back a smirk Dragon’s hands wavered ever so slightly around her wrists. She could use that. “What?”

“Maybe… I’ve been trying to get your attention.” Blake whispered, moving forward and angling her head so that she could bring her lips close to Dragon’s without hitting her head on the hero’s helmet. “The question is… now that I’ve got it… what’s going to happen? You’ve caught me. So what are you going to do? Hmm?”

Blake mentally grinned as Dragon’s breathing hitched. She could get out of this  _ without _ having to deal with Vale’s finest boys and girls in blue. She just had to play her cards right.

“What are you doing?” Dragon growled lowly, her hands tightening around Blake’s wrists. “What’s your angle?”

“Hm. I wonder…” Blake murmured, her lips now millimeters from Dragon’s. Her heart was racing and she knew her own face was flushed… but she had to get out of this. One way or another. “Care to find out?” Blake purposely brushed her lips over Dragon’s, waiting to see what kind of a reaction she would get before making her next move.

Dragon, however, seemed to make it for her by pushing forward and kissing her firmly. Blake let out a muffled squeak of surprise, her eyes drifting shut as she returned it. It took a moment before Blake was able to remember that she  _ wasn’t meant to enjoy this _ . This was Dragon, for God’s sake. Her sworn enemy! 

Still… maybe she could use this situation to her advantage. 

Blake sighed and gently bit Dragon’s bottom lip and was immediately rewarded by a soft whimper as strong hands moved from her wrist to hold her waist. Blake rested her hands on the sides of Dragon’s neck for a moment, waiting until she had been lulled into a false sense of security before using all of her strength to push her against the wall and pulling away, quickly grabbing her swords and sheathing them and running toward the edge of the building and turning back to a stunned Dragon.

“Thanks but… you’re not my type. Too cocky.” Blake purred, hiding how shaken she was behind false bravado. “Until next time, Dragon…”

And with that, Blake swung away, mentally berating herself for letting Dragon charm her.

First Yang, her best friend and roommate, and now Dragon, her enemy. 

She really did have the worst luck with women, didn’t she?


	6. Sale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, Blake Belladonna finally meets Yang’s coworker; Weiss Schnee.
> 
> Let’s see how it goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 6 - Sale
> 
> Guys... it’s day 6. And y’all are already screaming 😂 y’all are in for a rough month 😆

“So how was work?”

“We finally got the new prosthetic system figured out. We can start production and put them on sale.” Blake huffed into her glass and raised an eyebrow at Yang. “Despite the fact that they really should be readily available to everyone free of cost and not just those that can afford it.”

“Oh, Blake.” Yang said softly, smiling sadly at her best friend. “Is that Cinder’s final word on it?”

“She refuses to make anything that she can’t make a profit off of.” Blake hissed, her amber eyes flashing angrily, she leaned onto their kitchen table, her ears pinning as her lip curled furious. “If she can’t earn some more money from it, then she refuses to even look at the fucking proposal!”

“Aw, Blake…”

“But…” Blake inhaled deeply and leaned back in her seat and smirked slowly at Yang. “I found a loophole. She said that we can’t donate prosthetics to the East End.. but there’s nothing stopping me from setting up a charity and using it to help the vulnerable people of Vale with their medical expenses at cost only to myself and donors.” Blake winked conspiratorially at Yang and Yang felt her heart skip a beat. “Including prosthetic limbs. I might not be able to stop Cinder from turning life changing prosthetics into a cash grab... but I can do this, at least.”

“Blake Belladonna… you are incredible, you know that?” Yang said with a small laugh as she stood up and walked behind Blake’s chair and wrapped her arms around her shoulders in a tight hug, “I am so proud of you. You’ve been working so hard on that prosthetic project and now… just… you know that Vale’s super lucky to have you, yeah?”

“Shut up.” Blake mumbled, burying her head into Yang’s jaw affectionately. She reached up and gently rested her hands on Yang’s arms and sighed softly. “I’m just doing my part, even if Cinder makes it painfully difficult.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Now if only Dragon would stop protecting her.” Blake snorted angrily as Yang moved to sit down, mentally flinching. It was never easy to hear Blake vent about Dragon and it really felt like Blake had a high level of disdain for Yang’s alter ego. It hurt a little, to hear a part of who she was being talked about like that. 

“I’m sure that Dragon cares.”

“I’m sure she does too.” Blake said calmly, her eyes narrowing. “But quite frankly, when she condemns Blake Poison for stealing cultural artwork but refuses to condemn the people that stole it from its home and even praises them, then there’s a problem.” Yang felt her neck and checks begin to burn as Black Poison’s name brought back memories from that night on the museum rooftop. It had already been a week since and she was still torn between confusion at how Black Poison had made her feel and anger at being played like that. “All it does is alienate the faunus even further.”

“... I’m sure Dragon doesn’t mean-“

“That’s my people’s culture, Yang.” Blake said emphatically, her body language stiff. “I find it very hard to like her when she actively defends those that stole it.”

“I- yeah. Right.” Yang sighed and smiled apologetically at Blake. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You’ve always been a good ally, Yang. I’m lucky to have someone like you as my best friend.”

Blake smiled softly at her and stood to collect their plates and cups and suddenly, it became a lot harder to remember much else other than just how pretty Blake was. The way her smile was slightly crooked when it was genuine, the way her eyes squinted ever so slightly, the way Yang suddenly felt so incredibly important…

Black Poison was hot. There was no denying that. But Blake? Blake was the epitome of gorgeous, inside and out. Smart, beautiful, charming and funny and kind.

But Yang would continue to make do with friendship. She couldn’t let anything drive a wedge between them. She just couldn’t.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Hey, Weiss! Guess who just got the Belladonna donation gig!”

“You’re friends and roommates with the woman, Miss Xiao Long. You’re more likely to get more information out of her.”

“Weiss.” Yang drawled as she leaned on Weiss Schnee’s desk and quirked an eyebrow at her fellow reporter. “Could you maybe not be analytical for five minutes and let me gloat?”

“No. Because if I do that, I’ll have to listen to yet another hour long rant about why Blake Belladonna is so amazing.” Weiss rolled her eyes and threw her ponytail over her shoulder and smirked up at Yang as she sputtered indignantly. “I haven’t even met her yet and I already feel as though I know her like the back of my hand thanks to you.”

“Shut up!”

“It’s not my fault you won’t grow up and just talk to her.” Weiss huffed, crossing her eyes and flowering at Yang. “If I have to deal with one more lovestruck-“

“You little hypocrite!” Yang laughed, smirking at Weiss as she leaned across the desk and into her face. “Don’t get all high and mighty with me. I’ve seen you checking out the new girl. Pyrrha, right?” Yang grinned as Weiss flushed and sputtered, her skin becoming a bright shade of pink. “Admit it; you think she’s hot.”

Both women refused to back down, sitting nose to nose as they glared and challenged each other about their respective crushes… until a voice spoke up.

“Um… am I… interrupting something?”

Yang jumped away from Weiss and turned to see Blake standing at the door, a brown paper bag held in her hands. Her ears were tilted back and, just for a moment, Yang saw a strange, almost hurt look enter her eyes as she started at Weiss. But it was gone too quickly for Yang to be able to pinpoint what it was exactly.

“No! No, of course not!” Yang grinned nervously, her cheeks flushing as she adjusted her button down. “Uh… what are you doing here?”

“I, uh. I was working from home today and noticed that you forgot your lunch.” Blake said quietly, finally pulling her eyes from Weiss and giving Yang an awkward smile. “Figured that I’d bring it to you.”

“You see? This is why you’re my best friend.” Yang smiled gratefully, purposely ignoring Weiss’s disbelieving snort, as she took the bag.

“Yeah… Weiss Schnee, I presume.” Blake said as she turned her attention back to Weiss, her voice suddenly stiff and her body tense. 

“That is I. It is lovely to finally meet you, Miss Belladonna. Your work is truly inspirational.” Weiss said as she bowed her head respectfully at Blake and stood to shake her hands. “My condolences for what happened to your family’s company.”

“Yeah. Sure.” Blake snorted rudely, snapping her hand back and narrowing her eyes dangerously at Weiss. “Said the heiress to one of the businesses that bought it out from under me.”

“Blake!” Yang hissed, aghast at Blake’s behaviour. Blake had never shown signs of being bitter towards Weiss when Yang had talked about her previously. What had changed?

“It’s ex-heiress, actually. I was disinherited and disowned when I chose to become a reporter instead of following in their footsteps.” Weiss said sharply, narrowing her eyes at Blake. “I have no connection to the company. Your anger and blame is misplaced.”

“Excuse me for not trusting a Schnee. A leopard can’t change its spots, after all.”

“Hey, Blake? Can I talk to you for a minute? Privately?” Yang said through clenched teeth as she carefully ushered Blake out of Weiss’s office and towards the elevator. “Okay… what the hell was that about?! You’ve never had a problem with Weiss when I’ve talked about her before! You’ve even been sympathetic to her because of her jackass family! What the hell!”

“I have my reasons.” Blake said, refusing to meet Yang’s gaze. Her body language was completely closed off, her ears pinning and her jaw set. 

“Blake.” Yang sighed, pinching her nose as she mentally groaned. She knew what that stance meant. It meant that Blake was feeling obstinate and was  _ not _ going to budge any time soon. “Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was for me?”

“Gee. Thanks.” Blake said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “I’m glad to hear that I’m an embarrassment to my best friend.”

“I- What?” Yang stared at Blake blankly, thoroughly confused now. “Now you’re just putting words in my mouth! What’s your problem?”

“I don’t have a problem.” Blake said stiffly. “I’m fine.”

“Okay… I think you need to leave.” Yang exhaled slowly and reached around Blake to call for the elevator and stepped back. “I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.”

Yang bit her cheek in irritation when Blake snorted and stepped into the elevator, still refusing to look at her.

“I’ll see you later, Blake. Thanks for bringing me my lunch.” Yang smiled at Blake, a last ditch attempt at ending the conversation on a lighter note.

But when Blake scoffed and kept looking away as the doors closed, she knew that her attempt had been unsuccessful. She was low left agitated and confused.

What the fuck was that all about?


	7. Tight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, Blake berates herself for her behaviour from last chapter.

Blake fell onto her bed with a loud groan and let out a muffled yell into her pillow. She  _ knew  _ that snapping at Yang and Weiss was awful. She  _ knew _ that getting jealous of Weiss over Yang like that wasn’t okay. She  _ knew _ that she was out of line. But seeing Yang and Weiss with their faces so close together brought out a part of her that she didn’t like. It was possessive and reminded her too much of Adam. Is that what happened? Did he break her enough that she was like him?

“God. I am  _ such _ an idiot!” Blake hissed as she rolled into her back, her ears flat against her hair. “I am so fucking stupid! I’m twenty five fucking years old! I’m the figurehead of a tech company! I shouldn’t be behaving like a seventeen year old!” 

The disappointment and anger that had wafted off of Yang came to mind and Blake bit her lip, her heart twisting violently. She’d have to apologise and make it up to Yang somehow.

“Oh, what the fuck now!” Blake growled as her phone rang. She quickly grabbed her phone and cursed under her breath when she saw the caller ID. She inhaled deeply and answered the call. “Hi, Miss Fall! How are you?” She chirped with a forced grin, her right eye twitching slightly. By God, she hated this woman.

“Miss Belladonna… how is my favourite engineer?” Cinder crooned, making Blake sneer silently. She liked it better when  _ Yang _ said it. “I just want to, once more, congratulate you on your hard work regarding the completion of our new prosthetic line.”

“Thank you.”

“But I also wanted to commend you on your latest…  _ charity project _ .” Cinder said, her words sounding more mocking than anything.

“What do you mean?” Blake said slowly, sitting up in bed, her heart jumping to her throat.

“I am referring to your little project to provide the East End with prosthetics. Very kind of you.” Cinder said slowly, sending Blake’s senses in high alert. Something was wrong. “But surely your little charity will go by your family’s name?”

“That- that’s the idea.”

“I think… that it would be best if you separated the charity from Belladonna tech. Don’t you think? Just so people don’t think that we’re pandering to the poor.”

“What?” Blake said quietly, anger flaring in her chest at Cinder’s phrasing.

“Yes. It just wouldn’t do, would it?” There was a smile in Cinder’s voice that sent a horrible chill down Blake’s spine. “So… I think it’s best if Belladonna tech became Schnee Tech. In honour of our kindest sponsor… Don’t you agree?”

“You can’t-“

“Or you could drop your little project and keep your family’s business as it is. Your parent’s will still have the legacy that they created.”

“I- you-“ Blake sputtered, her eyes stinging as tears formed. 

“So make your choice, Miss Belladonna. Belladonna Tech Or Belladonna Prosthetics.”

And despite the way renewed grief tumbled through her chest, Blake knew that she had to do what was right for Vale. She made her decision with a tight chest and a heavy heart; No matter how much it felt like she was reliving that night all over again.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

_ A fourteen year old Blake grinned up at her parents excitedly as they left the restaurant. She was still enchanted with the way the server had cooked the meal in front of them, flames jumping around on the end of his spatula as he threw the meat around. _

_ “Mum! Did you see me catch the egg in my mouth? Do you think I could do what he does one day?” _

_ “Oh, my little panther cub.” Kali laughed as she smoothed back her daughter’s cat ears, much to Blake’s annoyance. “You can be whatever you want to be.” _

_ Just before Blake could respond, a man stepped out in front of them, his voice low and angry as he demanded their money. Blake hid behind her mother as her father tried to control the situation but as Ghira raised his hands to placate the man, a gunshot rang out and soon, a a patch of red began to blossom over Ghira’s chest before he fell to the floor. Kali screamed and quickly pushed Blake behind a dumpster to hide her safely. But before Kali could crawl in beside her, a second shot rang out and Kali gasped. She coughed, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth as Blake watched in silent horror. _

_ “Mama?” Blake whimpered, using the name she hadn’t since she was very small. _

_ “It’s okay, baby girl.” Kali rasped as she collapsed to her knees, blood staining her dress. She took Blake’s hands and pressed something cool into them. “You’re… you’re going to be okay. You won’t be- you won’t ever be alone.” Kali’s words faded out as her body slumped against the wall, all life leaving her amber eyes. _

_ “Mum? Dad?” Blake whispered fearfully as the man started to panic. He grabbed Ghira’s wallet and ran, disappearing down the street as Blake began to panic and cry. _

_ And that was where she stayed until a young boy with red hair, bull horns and a charming smile found her, promising safety and liberation. _

_ And so, Blake left with Adam Taurus, her mother’s ring being the last thing she would have of her family for a very long time. _

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Blake sat in her bed with a terrified scream and looked around her, panting heavily. 

She was fine. She was safe. She was in the home she shared with her best friend.

“Blake?” Said roommate called as she burst into Blake’s room and ran over to her bed, lilac eyes wide with concern. She was in her tank top and sweatpants that she usually wore for bed. Just how late was it? “Hey! You’re okay. It’s okay.” She soothed as she pulled Blake into a tight hug. 

Blake froze for a minute, torn between pulling away from the comfort that she didn’t believe that she deserved and accepting it selfishly.

“I- I’m sorry!” Blake whimpered into Yang’s shoulder, melting into Yang’s arms. “I’m so sorry, Yang!”

“Hush.” Yang said gently, rocking them both a little as Blake sobbed into Yang’s neck. “You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

Blake cried until her tears ran dry. But even after she stopped crying, Yang didn’t stop holding her. Instead, Yang moved to sit against Blake’s headboard and pulled her close, letting Blake nuzzle into her collar as she ran her hand through Blake’s hair and gently untangled it.

“Did you have a nightmare about your parents?”

“Yes.”

“You haven’t had one in a while. Did something trigger it?”

“Cinder’s changing the company name. My parent’s legacy will be wiped of their name.” Blake sniffed, curling in close to Yang’s side. “And replaced it with the Schnee name.”

“I- What?” Yang said, sounding stunned. “The Schnee- fuck. No wonder you were pissed earlier. But Weiss is different, Blake. She won’t be happy to hear of this.”

“I know.” Blake sighed. It was better to let Yang think that  _ this _ was the problem. It was easier than explaining the actual problem. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Yang murmured into Blake’s hair, her hand running circles into Blake’s spine. “Why is-“

“Because she found out about my charity plan somehow. She gave me a choice. Use the family name for the company and drop the charity or keep the charity and Belladonna Tech becomes Schnee Tech.”

“And you chose to keep the charity.”

“I had to. As important as my parent’s company and legacy to that company is, the people in the East End deserve these tools and options just as much as anybody else.” Blake said sadly, tucking her head firmly under Yang’s jaw. “I hate having to give it up but I need to do what’s right for everyone.”

“... you worked so hard for your family’s company. To bring their name back into tech creation. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“It’s the right thing to do.”

“You… are something else, Blake.” Yang sighed softly, resting her head on Blake’s own. “I’m sorry Cinder’s doing this.”

“Hmm.” Blake hummed tiredly, moving to nuzzle her nose against Yang’s collar affectionately.

“Tired?”

“Yeah.”

“Want me to stay, bud?”

“...please?” Blake asked in a voice much smaller than she liked.

“Of course.” 

The two women laid side by side, facing each other. Yang reached out and gently ran her hand through Blake’s long hair, gently scratching at her scalp as she very slowly dozed off. Blake reached out a hand and rested it on her friend’s waist, needing to be close to her somehow.

Before she fell asleep, she made a promise to herself; she’d make it up to both Yang and Weiss the next day. 

But for now, she closed her eyes and quietly enjoyed the feeling of her best friend playing with her hair.


	8. Desert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An apology is made and forgiveness is earned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 8 - Desert
> 
> Warning; graphic depictions of violence ahead.

Yang froze as she approached her desk and glanced around her, mildly confused. There was a fresh bouquet of flowers on Yang’s desk; sunflowers, to be exact.

“Let’s see… oh! Oh, Blake Belladonna.” Yang murmured under her breath, a smile tugging at her lips as she read the attached note. “You sap.”

_ Yang, _

_ I’m sorry about my behaviour yesterday. I let everything get to me. It was wildly immature and inappropriate. _

_ Hopefully, these flowers can brighten your day like you have done to my life since we became friends. _

_ Love, your best friend, _

_ Blake Belladonna. _

Yang sighed softly as she read Blake’s messy cursive, her heart melting slowly. Blake, underneath the tough, business woman exterior, was a softy. 

With that thought in mind, she sat down and smelled her flowers as she pulled out her scroll and dialed Blake’s number. She raised an eyebrow at Weiss as she came over with a bouquet of assorted flowers.

“Blake?” Weiss mouthed, a small blush coating her cheeks. When Yang nodded, Weiss cleared her throat awkwardly. “Give her my gratitude for the flowers and apology.” And with nothing more said, Weiss turned stiffly on her heel and walked back to her desk. She was evidently unused to such gifts.

“Yang?”

“Hey, best friend!” Yang sang happily into her scroll, ignoring. The strange looks her co-workers gave her. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. Do I need to come bail you out of jail for getting into someplace you shouldn’t? You never call from work.”

“Very funny.” Yang snorted as she rolled her eyes fondly. “Nothing’s wrong, Blake. I just… wanted to call you to say thanks for the flowers. Weiss’s too. It was  _ very _ sweet of you.”

“Never let it be said that I don’t know how to apologise when I’m in the wrong.” Blake deadpanned, though Yang could tell that her friend was pleased that her gifts had gone over well. “Weiss liked hers?”

“Blake. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the woman blush that hard before.” Yang laughed as she sat back in her seat, a warm smile on her face as Blake giggled down the line. “You made both of our day, wonderful ray of sunshine that you are.”

“Oh, shut up.” Blake said without bite. “That’s not true in the slightest, Yang.”

“Hmm… I don’t know, pal.” Yang grinned, her lilac eyes dancing as Blake gave a weary sigh on the other end. “You don't exactly have a  _ Blake _ outlook on life.”

“ _ Xiao Long  _ have you been working on that one?” Blake threw back, an amused note to her voice before she cursed under her breath. “Shit! Sorry, Yang! Apparently Cinder’s on her way up for an impromptu meeting. Why do I even have a calendar if nobody books appointments these days…” Blake had a disgusted grunt and sighed softly. “See you at home?”

“Yeah, yeah. Go do your thing, Woman of Tomorrow. I’ll see you later.”

“See you tonight, Yang.” Blake chuckled softly before she hung up.

Yang placed her scroll onto her desk and cradled her head in her hands and gazed at her flowers, sighing softly.

She really was lucky to have Blake as a friend. No matter how much it made her heart ache at times.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“BP!” Yang growled as she blocked another strike of the villain’s blades, pushing her away and towards the edge of the balcony they fought on. She had been on her nightly patrol before retiring home for the evening when she had spotted the villain trying to break into a politician’s home. Naturally, she had leapt into action and a fight had soon begun. “You are really starting to get on my nerves!”

“The feeling is mutual, my dear Dragon.” Black Poison hissed through clenched teeth, making Yang pause in thought for a moment. 

Blake Poison was fighting with more anger than normal. There was a ferocity to her that wasn’t there in their previous battles. 

“I can’t let you do this, Doll.” Yang said firmly, slamming her knee into Black Poison’s stomach. “I get where you’re coming from but there’s a better way!”

“Like what you’re doing?!” Black Poison laughed bitterly, her golden eyes flashing dangerously at Yang through her mask. “And how much good has protecting the elite done for Vale?”

“I protect everyone!”

“You refusing to condemn the elite hurts the East End!” Black Poison snarled as she knocked Yang into the balcony doors and crossed her blades over Yang’s throat. The doors crawled under Yang and Blake’s weight, threatening to collapse at any second. “They suffer because the rich continue to take advantage of them! Do you have any idea how much power it would give the weak and vulnerable to have the mighty Dragon of Vale speak out against the way they’re treated? To have  _ you _ acknowledge that they’re suffering because the rich refuse to help? Because they’re taken advantage of? You could give them courage and strength… but you’re so damn focused on your little black and white view that all theft is bad. I’m trying to give back to the people that need it. I’m trying to give an already attacked culture their priceless work back.”

“Two wrongs don’t make a right.” Yang grunted as the cold steel pressed against her throat. “You- there’s a better way. Protests! Lawyers! There’s legal ways to do this!”

“You think I haven’t tried?!” Black Poison said lowly, her voice breaking. “I have! Time and time again but nobody listens! Nobody cares! Somebody has to remind these fat cats that they may be above the law… but they are not above karma. They cannot desert the vulnerable like this.”

“Look… I can tell that you’ve been hurt and I respect that you’ve never hurt anyone in return… but stealing is not the way to go about it!”

“Shut. Up.” Black Poison hissed furiously, leaning in close to Yang’s face. “You know  _ nothing _ about me!”

“You sure were singing a different tune  _ that _ night.”

Black Poison’s grip on her blades faltered and Yang seized her opportunity and grabbed her and slammed her against the door. Both women let out a yell as it finally gave out and the two went sprawling into the room.

“What the-“ Yang gasped and rolled away from Black Poison as a foul stench met her nose. She looked at the fallen villain and stopped and stared in confusion.

Black Poison sat where she had landed, her face completely devoid of colour, her eyes wide with horror. Yang watched as her breaths became quick and panicked, her eyes filling with terrified tears before crawling desperately to a nearby wall where she dry heaved, her voice ragged and torn, her gags mixed with hysterical sobs.

Yang felt her blood run cold and slowly turned to where Black Poison’s gaze had been.

And suddenly… her own stomach churned and it took considerable effort not to throw up, herself.

Because sprawled out against the front of his desk, laid a man with black hair and lifeless brown eyes. His face was contorted into an expression of pure agony, clearly being made to suffer before his untimely passing. And below his face, his shirt was cut open, revealing the cause of his death;

A bull skull with a rose imprinted into its head had been violently carved into the man’s chest. 

Somebody wanted to send a message. The question was; to who?


	9. Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favourite villain has been sent a message. 
> 
> Let’s see how she responds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 9 - Break

_ ‘He’s back! He’s here! He knows that I’m here!’ _

Blake couldn’t breath. Her chest ached each time that she dry heaved. Great, hyperventilating sobs escaped her as curled against the wall, unable to completely turn her gaze away from the dead body, the pooled blood starting to congeal, with  _ his  _ mark carved cruelly into the torso. For as many problems as she had with the elite of Vale, she never wanted this. She never wanted to severely hurt, let alone torture and kill and somebody!

“Oh God!” Blake whimpered, body trembling. She couldn't move. She couldn’t breath. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t focus. “No…” A pained moan escaped her.

“Hey!” Suddenly, her vision was encompassed by gold, warm hands grabbing her shoulders with a gentle kindness. Blake looked up, her panicked amber gaze looking into the familiar, golden dragon mask that her nemesis wore. “I know. Don't look.” Dragon’s hands, despite their fim grip, trembled and her voice wavered. When Blake ‘s gaze was once more drawn to the body, Dragon cupped her jaw and gently guided her back to meet her gaze. “I know. It’s okay. It’s- It’s gonna be okay, BP.”

“No! You don’t understand!” A ragged sob tore from Blake’s throat as she gripped at Dragon’s armour with a terrified desperation. “He’s come for me! This happened because of me! I-” Blake’s voice hitched violently, her body shaking and her lungs beginning to feel like they were collapsing. “It’s not okay! It’s-”

Blake squeaked when Dragon pulled her into a firm hug, holding her firmly against her and tucking Blake’s face almost protectively into her neck. It was so  _ warm. _ So  _ reassuring.  _ It was almost  _ familiar _ . Blake couldn’t help but sink into the hero’s embrace, a pained whimper escaping her as she clung with fearful desperation to the mighty Dragon of Vale.

“I don’t know what’s going on but I  _ know _ that this didn’t happen because of you.” Dragon’s voice was thick, her body trembling slightly. “And I’m guessing that you know who did this?” When Blake nodded against her neck, Dragon continued softly. “I need to call the cops… and you need to get out of here. You’re going to be the first one on the suspect list but I  _ know  _ that you’re innocent.”

“But-”

“Go.” Dragon insisted softly, gently pushing Black back and lifting her chin and gazing at her. “I’ll catch up with you when I’m done with the cops and then… you can tell me what’s happening.”

“Okay.” Blake rasped, still shaking as Dragon helped her to her feet and walked her to the balcony, carefully blocking the body from Blake’s view. Blake activated her glove and sent a signal to her ribbon and sent it out to latch onto a nearby building’s flagpole. As she stepped onto the railing, she turned back to Dragon, unsure and confused. “Thank you.” Blake whispered, voice small and broken.

“Of course.” Dragon said with a nod, her voice sounding as tremulous as Blake felt. “Now get out of here before the cops show up. Meet me on the roof of The Vale Times after midnight. I’ll deal with the cops” She smiled shakily under her mask at Blake and awkwardly patted her back before clearing her throat. 

Blake nodded and jumped off of the building, swinging through the air towards their rendezvous point. As much as she hated to admit it, she had to let Dragon know who she might be going up against.

Because Adam fucking Taurus was in town.

And the man wanted Blake to know it.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Blake was sitting on the edge of the building, her feet dangling off of the ledge and tears streaming silently down her face, when somebody sat beside her, a flash of gold in her peripheral vision.

“I told the cops that I was on patrol and saw the door had been messed with.” Dragon said, sounding drained. “We think that the body had been dead for some time, based on the blood and smell. They’re going to do a full autopsy report.”

“Right.” Blake said distantly, her eyes shutting tight as the memory of finding the body replayed itself for the millionth time since parting ways with Dragon. “I presume that you want to know what I know?”

“Straight to the point, huh?” Dragon sighed, her shoulders slumping. Blake blinked and turned to watch her carefully. For the first time, she felt like she was staring, not at the mighty Dragon of Vale, but at somebody infinitely more human. A tired and weary guardian that  _ just wanted a fucking nap.  _ “Look, BP… If you need some time… I get it, you know? What we saw back there…” Dragon shuddered, her breath hitching violently.

“It’s… not the first time that I’ve seen it.” Blake said quietly, curling her arms around herself protectively. “I… used to work with the man who did it… before I realised what a monster he was.”

“... I’m sorry. I find it hard to imagine you working with someone like that.”

“It was years ago, when we were both children. He found me as an orphaned child and brought me into a local… gang? I guess? They promised safety. Freedom. Liberation. They promised us that we could do good in the world.” Blake sighed softly and shook her head. “But it was all a lie. We were taught to fight and commit crimes for “the greater good” but the man who did this… as we grew, he started to change. Or maybe he just started to show his true colours.” Blake spoke quietly, her ears pinning as she gazed over their town. “It was when he first started taking lives that I picked up on it. But I was too scared to leave. When he started leaving his…  _ calling card _ … I began to really feel terrified. But it was when he went from killing the rich and elite, the powerful and corrupt, to killing the people we were meant to be saving that I escaped.”

“You didn’t agree with the killing… did you?”

“No. Of course not. Taking lives is just… wrong! Hurting people to accomplish your goal is not the way to go. I might be a villain but I have morals.”

“I can tell.” Dragon said softly, a small smile twitching at her lips before she turned to face Blake more fully. “I’m so sorry that you had to go through that. I… I’m glad that you got out of there.” Dragon gave her a wry smile and gently poked her shoulder. “Somebody had to kick my ass into heroic shape… quite literally, too.”

Blake snorted, a small and tired chuckle leaving her lips as she leaned forward on her knees and rubbed her neck, wincing slightly.

“So… what is this guy’s name?”

“...MinoTaur. That’s what he called himself.”

“Right.” Dragon said stiffly, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. “So… what do I need to know to take this asshole down?”

“You can’t. You don’t know him like I do.” Blake growled, her nails digging into her legs as she remembered his cruelty and violence. “He’s a sadistic son of a bitch. You won’t win.”

“Not without your help.” 

“What?!” Blake whirled in Dragon, jaw dropped before she let out a disbelieving laugh. “You would work with a villain?”

“A villain that wants what’s best for Vale.”

“Not according to the media.”

“Black Poison, please.” Dragon said emphatically. “We can’t let him do this to our town. Help me. We stand a chance if we work together, Doll.”

Blake didn’t like it. She really didn’t like it. But what choice did she really have? She didn’t want to run from the place that had become home. She didn’t want to abandon the people to a horrific fate. She didn’t want to leave Yang, who had become the world to her.

Much like with Cinder’s ultimatum, she had to do what was right.

“Fine. I’ll work with you.” Blake said quietly, turning to gaze at Dragon. “But we are  _ not _ partners. We are  _ not _ friends. I am only doing this for the people of Vale. Are we clear?”

“Crystal.”

Dragon held out her hand and Blake took it with a heavy sigh and gave it a firm shake.

“And don’t call me Doll.”

She just hoped that she didn’t live to regret this.


	10. Total

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, we see how our mighty Dragon of Vale is handling the after math of MinoTaur’s calling card.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 10 - Total

Total silence met Yang as she crept in through her window and into her room. Usually, she could either hear Blake starting to wind down after getting in some last minute work for her company but it appeared as though Blake had already gone to bed.

“Fuck.” Yang choked out, her eyes welling up with tears, her throat suddenly tight as her stomach clenched painfully. As she walked into her closet, she shed her armour and helmet, slipping out of her body suit and quickly making her way into her bathroom and turning on the shower and stepping under the water before it could heat up. She had seen a lot of shit as the mighty Dragon of Vale. She had seen domestic violence, drug addicts and robberies gone bad. She had seen attacks that were obviously racially motivated and she had seen cars set on fire. But never had she ever seen such brutality as she did earlier that night. MinoTaur, as Black Poison had called him, had obviously made the man suffer a cruel death. He had wanted to cause as much pain as possible… and for what? To send Black Poison a message? It made her feel ill. She could still see the gaping bull insignia on the man’s torso, smell the foul stench of death. She could still hear Black Poison’s terrified sobs as she held her close, the villainess clutching desperately to Yang. It was almost… heart shattering to see the usually confident woman reduced to such a petrified state. “Oh God…” Yang allowed herself to slide to the floor as the water flowed over her trembling body. Her tears became lost in the water that flowed from the shower, her breath hitching painfully.

She remained in the shower until the hot water ran out and she sluggishly climbed to her feet and got dressed into her sweatpants and oversized yellow t-shirt. She felt her body tremble violently as she crawled into bed and hugged her pillow to her chest. But no matter how tightly she held it, it didn’t provide the comfort that she needed. 

“God.” Yang breathed out shakily as she stood and left her room, clumsily making her way to Blake’s and knocking almost timidly against it. 

“Yang?” Blake said, her voice sounding drained. Her ears were slightly lopsided, her hair, having grown out over the past couple of years, just barely fell to her shoulders in messy waves. Her amber eyes blinked up at Yang tiredly, her lips twitching into a concerned frown. “Is everything okay-”

Yang moved forward, capturing Blake in her arms and burying her face into her neck and inhaling deeply, drinking in her best friend’s presence as a small sob escaped her. Blake froze for a moment before she responded, her arms pulled Yang close. Blake’s calloused hands ran through her hair, gently soothing her. Yang mumbled an apology against Blake’s neck, pressing close to her and desperately seeking out her reassurance.

“What happened?”

“...bad day at work.” Yang said softly, pulling back and wiping her eyes. She gave Blake an embarrassed smile. “Sorry. I… guess I just needed a hug from my best friend, you know?”

“I know exactly what you mean.” Blake said quietly, smiling sweetly Yang as she gripped Yang’s hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “Is there anything else that I can do?”

“No. No, thank you.” Yang sighed tiredly, giving Blake a weak smile. “I’m just… going to go to bed. Thank you, Blake.”

“Of course. What are friends for?”

“Yeah, friends.” Yang mumbled, looking away for a moment before shaking her head and moving back to her room. “Goodnight, Blake.”

“Goodnight, Yang.”

When Yang collapsed into her bed, she fell into a fitful, dreamless sleep, the stress and trauma of the night finally getting the better of her.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

And woke up to the sound of their fire alarm going off and Blake cursing in a manner that would make even a sailor blush.

“...With all due respect, buddy of mine,” Yang said as she gazed at the utter  _ fucking chaos _ of their kitchen. “What the fuck did you do?!”

“... so… apparently pancakes are a little out of my depth.” Blake flushed and gave Yang a sheepish grin, baking flour and batter covering her clothes and coating her black hair. It was even in the fur on her cat ears.

“...You’re an engineer. More than that, you’re the head engineer and figurehead of one of the most successful tech companies in Vale.” Yang said quietly as she looked up at the burnt pancake pieces that were somehow  _ on the ceiling _ . Batter coated the walls and she felt her grip on reality loosen slightly as she inhaled deeply and dropped her face into her hands with a half groan/half laugh. “How the fuck did you fuck up pancakes  _ this  _ badly?!”

“Shut up.” Blake pouted, and crossed her arms. Her cheeks were getting redder by the moment and,as Yang glanced up, she looked up at the ceiling only for a piece of charred pancake to fall onto her face. Yang bit her lips and watched as Blake growled and threw the charred piece into the sink indignantly. “This is what I get for trying to cheer you up.”

“Wait… you were trying to cheer me up? With pancakes?” Yang asked softly, feeling herself hopelessly endeared by the woman in front of her. 

“I  _ was trying _ to make you breakfast in bed but… it didn’t go to plan.”

“Oh my God…” Yang laughed, blinking away sentimental tears as she walked up to Blake and pulled her into a hug, earning an indignant grunt. “You are so cute. You really are the best friend that I could ask for, you know that?”

“Yang!” Blake protested, wiggling against Yang before giving up and slumping against her, chin resting on Yang’s shoulder. “Do you not see how colossally I fucked up? It’s going to take  _ hours _ to clean this place up. It’s going to smell like burnt pancake for God knows how long… and now you’ve got batter all over you.”

“An attempt was made, Blake. That’s what counts.” Yang smiled softly, squeezing Blake affectionately, her heart melting at the fact that Blake went through all of this for her. “But you’re something else. You’re so smart and you make amazing tech that’s going to change the world… but my God, you have the biggest chaotic, dumbass gremlin energy at times, I swear.” Yang giggled when Blake whined indignantly. “Now come on. Somehow, there’s just enough ingredients for me to make some  _ actually edible _ pancakes.”

“Ugh.” Blake grumbled, pulling away from Yang with an embarrassed blush covering her cheeks. “I’m glad that you’re getting a laugh out of this.” Blake muttered as she turned away and began to clean up as yang washed her hands so she could start cooking. But despite Blake’s words, Yang could hear a small smile in her voice and Yang felt her own smile grow. Blake could act as tough as she wanted. They both knew that she was a total sweetheart.

“And Blake?”

“Yes, Yang?”

“As much as I appreciate you doing this for me? You are now banned from my fucking kitchen.”

“Hey!”

Yang laughed at the offended shout and squealed indignantly when she felt something cold slip down her neck and she whirled around to glare at the offender.

“...did you just put a  _ fucking ice cube down my shirt, Blake?! _ ”

“I don't know. Did I just put a  _ fucking ice cube down your shirt, Yang? _ ”

“Oh… that’s it! C’mere!”

For as batshit crazy as her hero life had gotten, the one thing that Yang could count on was that she could count on Blake.


	11. Remind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, Blake brings Yang along so that she can report on the Belladonna donation case.
> 
> Let’s see what happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 11 - Remind

“Remind me why we couldn’t just take the car the entire way to the hospital?” 

“Yang…” Blake sighed softly and gave Yang a deadpan look, silently taking a moment to admire how good she looked in her button down shirt, with her camera hanging around her neck. They continued walking to the East End hospital, Blake’s gift securely locked in its special case. Blake was pleased that Yang would be the one reporting and writing about this visit. She knew that she could trust Yang to be honest. “I like walking through the East End. It gives me a chance to observe the people here and see what can be done to give them a better quality of life.”

“Always working and giving, huh?” Yang teased gently as she playfully hip checked Blake, grinning when Blake swiped at her shoulder with an indignant huff. “No wonder everybody here loves you.”

“It's also why people like Cinder and thee Schnees hate me.”

“So?” Yang snorted, slinging an arm around Blake’s shoulders, making the slightly shorter woman’s heart rate spike. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; you, Blake Belladonna, are gonna change the world!” Yang grinned down at her and headbutted her affectionately, her arm squeezing Blake’s shoulders tightly. “And I’ll be there to document it so that people never forget how amazing you are.”

“God, you are  _ such  _ a dork.” Blake mumbled, her cheeks flushing brightly as the hospital came into view. She was honestly excited for what was about to happen; it would make a nice distraction from everything that was happening with Dragon and their newfound common ground. Two weeks had passed since that night and she still couldn’t get Adam’s calling card out of her mind. “Now come on. We have a new friend waiting for us and her new gift.”

Blake sighed heavily as they walked up to the hospital doors, trying to shake the sudden heavy weight resting over her heart.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Seriously? You’re just… giving it to me?”

“I am. You, Yin Lock-Hart, are the first recipient of a prosthetic gifted by Belladonna Prosthetics.” Blake smiled softly at the overwhelmed teenager. Her purple eyes were wide with shock, her right hand playing with her long black hair nervously. Her calico cat ears twitched nervously, obviously unsure of the situation. “I understand if you don’t wish to accept it. This is all very overwhelm-”

“No! I do want it… it's just that… I’ve always wanted one.” Yin frowned, her eyes darting over to Yang as she sat recording their conversation, a friendly smile on her face. The seventeen year old turned back to Blake, tears pooling in her eyes. “They’re just so  _ expensive _ ! Grams could never afford it! I gave up hope that I could ever get one and now-”

Blake felt her heart break as the young girl covered her mouth with her remaining hand and muffled a quiet sob. Blake could hear the girl’s grandmother make a distressed sound and glanced over to see Yang wrap an arm around the elderly bird faunus’s shoulders, allowing her to lean into her side. Blake turned back to the young girl and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly at her.

“And now… my charity and I want to give you one.”

“When can I put it on?”

“As soon as you’re ready, Yin.”

“Uh… now, obviously!”

Blake laughed at Yin’s enthusiasm. The girl grinned up at her excitedly through her tears as Blake carefully pulled a left, prosthetic limb from its casing and giggled when Yin gave a delighted squeal.

“It’s purple! That’s my favourite colour!”

“Oh?” Blake said nonchalantly, turning to wink conspiratorially at Yang and Yin’s grandmother as Yin took the arm in her right hand and examined it with glee. “Would you look at that?”

“This so cool!” Yin sniffed, a shaky smile on her face as she gave Blake a grateful look. “Thank you so much, Miss Belladonna.”

“Call me Blake. Please. I swear I’m not that old yet.”

“I’m seventeen, dude. You’re already old to me.”

Blake gave an outraged gasp and playfully glared as the teenager smirked cheekily at her. She turned to glower at Yang when the flash of a camera went off and growled in a good natured way when Yang laughed at her.

“Rude. All of you.” Blake huffed, giving an over exaggerated pout asYang snapped a few pictures of their banter. “Alright,  _ whippersnapper _ . Let's call in your doctor so we can get you situated.”

“Fuck yeah!”

“Yin Lock-Hart!”

Blake snorted at the scandalised shout that the poor, horrified grandmother gave and shook her head with an amused smile. After a moment, the doctor came in and Blake worked with the man to help Yin set up her prosthetic. The girl winced as the arm connected to the base of her stump, ending just above her elbow, but she bravely grinned up at her proud grandmother and eventually, the girl sat watching in awe as her new dark purple fingers twitched and flexed. 

“You might experience some pain for a while as your body gets used to it.” Blake warned as she showed Yin how to calibrate the arm. “And you  _ will _ need physical therapy to relearn how to use your left arm but the costs of that have also been covered by my charity. How are you feeling?”

“...overwhelmed.” Yin said, her voice thick with emotion. She looked up at Balke with a watery smile. “In a good way. Um… do you think… could I give you a hug? Please?”

“Oh!” Blake blinked in surprise, glancing at Yang before smiling kindly at the girl. “Of course.” As Blake carefully wrapped her arms around Yin, the girl buried her face in Blake’s shoulder and soon, Blake could feel tears hitting her shoulder as Yin tightened her grip on Blake. Blake could hear Yang’s camera going off as she spoke quietly into Yin’s ear, quietly soothing her in the same way that she had learned to soothe Ruby when she was distressed.

“Thank you so much!”

Blake swallowed thickly. For as much as it had hurt losing her family’s company, she knew in that moment that she wouldn’t change her decision. Not when she could feel how much she had helped this young girl. She could feel it in the way Yin clung to her and cried tears of gratitude. 

She could see it in the way Yin’s grandmother smiled with tears running down her face. 

And she knew that, despite everything, that her parents would be proud of her for doing what was right. 


	12. Vague

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so we learn of MintoTaur’s powers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 12 - Vague
> 
> I seem to have made quite a few of you worried last chapter...
> 
> Don’t worry. You’ll all see what my plans are by day 30 😁

“So… how does MinoTaur’s power work?”

“He’s able to convert one type of energy into another.” Black Poison answered calmly from where she paced back and forth, jacket thrown over a chair and revealing her cropped top. Yang didn’t quite feel super comfortable in the villain’s warehouse but there wasn’t much else they could do. “Let's say that you strike him with one of your fire punches-”

“Dragon Strike.”

“Yes.” Blake Poison said dryly, stopping to stare blankly at Yang. “One of your Dragon Strikes. Their energy is fire based. He would then store that energy and use it against you.” Black Poison walked up to Yang slowly, tilting her head at her. “And what elemental energy could he use to get the best of the mighty Dragon of Vale, hmm?”

“Water or even better; ice.” Yang growled lowly, her eyes narrowing under her mask. “So how do I make sure he doesn't store energy?”

“You can’t. That’s the point.” Black Poison laughed bitterly, her ears pinning against her head as she poked Yang in her shoulder. “Why do you think I ran? I had no hope of stopping him. I still have no hope of stopping him.”

“So why aren’t you running this time?”

“Because I know him.” Blake Poison hissed as she stepped close to Yang, her golden eyes flashing furiously. “He won’t stop. He’ll do everything he can to get back at me for abandoning him and his cause. People are going to keep dying if I don’t stand and fight. I may hate the elite with a fiery passion but I never wanted anyone to  _ die. _ ” Black Poison sighed and stepped back, rolling out her shoulders and quirking an eyebrow at Yang. “There’s a balance in this world, Dragon. If somebody makes the decision to upset it, then somebody has to counterbalance that choice. If that somebody has to be me, then so be it.”

“Hmm.” Yang hummed thoughtfully, biting back a smirk. Little did Black Poison realise that those words were painfully similar to the ones that created her nemesis. “You know… I’m beginning to think that you’re not as bad as you let people believe.” She teased, leaning forward and grinning into Black Poison’s face.

“What are you insinuating, Dragon?”

“That you’re actually a good person.” Yang murmured softly, watching the way the villain’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Good person?” Black Poison hissed furiously, stepping back and, before Yang had the time to blink, a blade was pointed at her throat. She laughed nervously as Black Poison snarled. “My very name dictates who I am. Everyone in this town runs home and closes the blinds because they fear me. The elite have had to increase their security tenfold because of me. I am  _ not _ a good person!”

“People are scared because that’s the way the media has portrayed you from the word go.” Yang said, keeping her hands up placatingly as Black Poison glowered at her. “They’re ones who gave you your name but you gave up fighting them a long time ago and accepted your fate. Try as hard as you might, BP. But I think that we both know that there’s more to you than what you let on.” Yang smiled gently. “Maybe it's time to fight back, Doll.”

“Dont. Call. Me. Doll.” She growled low in her throat before turning and storming over to her coat and throwing it on. She resheathed her blade and Yang watched as Black Poison activated her glove, the fabric lighting up with purple markings. The ribbon, now lighting up with similar markings by her hip uncoiled itself and placed itself in Black Poison’s outstretched hand. “Be careful, Golden Girl. Playing with toxins is a dangerous business.” 

And with a loud crack, Black Poison sent out a signal to her ribbon and sent it flying out of the open skylight. With a sharp tug, Black Poison went flying after it, leaving Yang standing alone.

“Well, thanks for showing me to the door.” Yang said to the empty room sarcastically.”Real great hostess, you are.”

And so, Black Poison continued to be vague, and frustrating, as hell.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“So… what do you think, Boss Lady?” Yang grinned at Velvet as she finished reading Yang’s article on Blake’s first prosthetic donation. 

“I think that you did an amazing job.” Velvet smiled happily at heer, her rabbit ears twitching excitedly. “To get an inside scoop of Blake Belladonna’s journey and to be there to document her first steps into running this charity… it's wonderful, Yang.”

“Yeah, I’m super lucky that Blake let me do this.”

“Well, it goes to show how much she trusts you.” Velvet teased, a small smirk crossing across her lips that made Yang sigh in exasperation. “Thank you for not being overtly fluffy and rambling with your report. I know how difficult that must have been.”

“And that’s my cue to leave.” Yang drawled as she stood up and pointed at Velvet with a glare. “I already get this from Weiss. I don’t need it from you, either.”

“Fine, fine.” Velvet giggled, waving Yang out of her office with a far too smug grin. “You’re heading home now, right? Say hello to your gal pal for me.”

“She’s not my gal pal! She’s my best friend and roommate!”

Yang turned on her heel and stormed out of her boss’s office with a frustrated huff. She  _ knew _ that Blake didn't like her like that. She  _ knew  _ that talking to Blake would destroy the precious friendship that they had and that wasn’t something that Yang was willing to risk.

She was already taking a massive risk by being a hero and working with Black Poison to take down this MinoTaur guy. If somebody found out that Blake was so valuable to her, it was game over.

No. No, it was better this way. She could maintain and treasure the friendship she had while keeping Blake as safe as possible. 

‘I’d give an arm and a leg if it meant keeping her safe.’ Yang thought to herself as she packed up and headed home. “She means too much to me to just lose her.’


	13. Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Black Poison comes across two men stalking her favourite little reporter.
> 
> Let’s see what happens...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 13 - Easy

Blake, hidden among the shadows where she stood on top of her building, growled under her breath as she watched the two large men stalk Yang as she slipped into the alleyway of Black Poison’s warehouse. They were keeping their distance while keeping Yang in sight. Blake didn’t doubt that they had pulled such a stunt before. She knew that Yang could take care of herself. She had martial arts training, after all. But if Yang was distracted by her mission (no doubt trying to get the inside scoop on Black Poison), then she was bound to be distracted. 

Blake had to do  _ something _ before she got hurt.

Blake sent a signal to her ribbon, breathing in deeply and purposely cracking it like a whip as the men crept closer to Yang. As all three looked at each other in shock she stepped forward and allowed the moonlight to illuminate her. She watched as Yang’s eyes widened in outrage at the two men, her gaze drifting up to Blake and her jaw dropping slightly. When the two men looked up at her, Blake smirked darkly down at them, a low chuckle leaving her lips as she gripped her ribbon with both hands and pulled tightly, making it crack like a belt.

“My, my… it looks like some little rats have climbed into my poisonous trap.” Blake grinned when one of the men flinched, stepping behind his buddy fearfully. “Let’s see if any of them are smart enough to leave.” With that, she recoiled her ribbon and returned it to its place at her hip. She took a running leap off of the building and landed in front of them with a lazy smile. 

“Fuck off.”

“Oh, come now.” Blake chuckled tilting her head and speaking almost coyly as she started to stalk towards them, her steps slow and almost predatory. “Don’t you know that cursing at a lady is rude? And after you were stalking Vale’s most impressive reporter, too. Such disrespect shouldn’t be tolerated.”

“I said fuck off, bitch.”

Blake was already dodging and swinging back up to the rooftops before the bullet had been fired.

“What the fuck?!”

‘Really, it's just too easy sometimes.” Blake thought to herself dryly as the men looked around in panic. ‘Could he have projected his move any more clearly? Truly pathetic. At least Dragon gives me a challenge, insufferable as she may be.’

“You think you’re tough?!” Idiot Number One shouted, his voice cracking and giving away his fear. Blake almost felt bad as she silently crept along the rooftop, her ribbon activating quietly. “Come on! Show me what you’ve got!”

“Well.... if you insist.” Blake drawled as her ribbon snaked around his ankles and pulled tight. Blake sent Idiot number one flying, his scream slicing through the air as Blake jumped off and met him halfway, her foot colliding with his chest. As they hit the ground she backflipped off of him and recoiled her ribbon. She smirked as his gun slid under a dumpster while he laid groaning. She turned to Idiot Number Two with a small smile. “Would you also like to see what I have?” She purred as she stepped back into the shadows and disappeared from their view, silently returning to her perch on the rooftop. “Or perhaps you would prefer to take your leave?”

“Yes, ma'am!”

“And take your friend with you. This might be an alleyway but he’s a special kind of filth that I don’t want clogging it up, understand?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Good boy.”

Blake sighed quietly and turned her head to see Yang on high alert, her eyes watching Idiot Number Twoleave with his buddy in tow before looking around her warily. 

“Where are you?” Yang called, walking forward cautiously. “You gonna do that to me too?”

“Oh.” Blake said with a small chuckle as she hooked her ribbon around a light pole and sent out a signal to lower her towards Yang. She hooked her ankles around the ribbon and flipped herself upside down, smirking slyly as she came nose to nose with Yang. “I would  _ never  _ hurt my favourite reporter. I assure you that you’re safe with me.”

“Uh huh.” Yang said dryly, crossing her arms and glaring at a still upside down Blake. “You basically power drived a guy into the cement.”

“He was stepping into my territory and threatening my favourite reporter. Of course I responded.” Blake tilted her head and allowed a coy smile to cross her face, her ears flicking forward with interest. She had to get Yang to back off permanently… not that it went well last time. “You know… we really need to stop meeting like this. People are going to talk, Kitten.”

“Dont. Call. Me. Kitten.” Yang said through gritted teeth, her cheeks flushing.

“As you wish.” Blake sighed as she flipped right side up and landed on her feet. She kept one hand on her ribbon and quirked an eyebrow at Yang and smirked. “But you  _ are  _ the one who sought out my humble abode. How did you find it?”

“None of your business.”

“Such a tough act for such a pretty thing.” Blake cooed, mentally wincing as Yang growled. “I think I already know. But do try to stay away from my trap in the future, Sweetheart. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt now.”

“I can handle myself.”

“Hmm…maybe.” Blake hummed thoughtfully as she gripped her ribbon tightly and reached out to cup Yang’s jaw, making her freeze in shock. “Until next time… Kitten.” She added smugly, tugging sharply on her ribbon and sending herself back onto her rooftop once more, Yang’s indignant shout sounding behind her.

It damn near killed her every time she had to do this. Intimidating Yang? _ Threatening  _ her? It felt so wrong. She wanted to enjoy every second she spent with Yang. She wanted to take off her mask and let her see her scars and pain. She wanted to let Yang in fully, to trust her with everything that she was…

But if Yang knew who she was...if she saw beneath the mask and found out that Blake had been lying to her for  _ eight years… _ would she still see Blake, her friend? Or would she see Black Poison, the villain?

Would she let Blake explain? Would Blake lose the most important person in her world? And even if Yang accepted her, the chances of somebody going after Yang to hurt Blake was too great. 

Yang was too important to risk.

  
  



	14. Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our two favourite roommates take some valuable bonding time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 14 - Left

“Yang?”

“Yes, Blake?”

“...why do you have part of a motorbike model stuck to your hand?”

Yang grinned sheepishly up at her friend and laughed awkwardly as she waved said hand at Blake. This is what happens when she gets Ruby and Penny to send her gear in boxes from hobbyist toy stores. She ends up having to actually buy the stupid models and build them so that Blake didn’t get suspicious. And considering she had never built models before? It probably wasn’t the best cover

“I’m using a different brand of glue and it's a little stronger than I expected.”

“Hmm.” Blake hummed, her head tilting curiously, a familiar gleam entering her eyes. It was the same look that she got when she was working on a project that challenged her. Blake thrived on challenges and problem solving so Yang wasn’t too surprised that her interest had been spiked. “Which model is this one? You had several come last week, if I remember correctly.”

“This one.” Yang said, keeping the hand that  _ still _ had the model piece attached to iy up in the air while grabbing the front of the packaging and passing it to Blake. It showed a black and yellow Ducati motorcycle. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“I wasn’t aware that gluing yourself to the model was a part of the process. Yang.”

“Smartass. Look, can you just… help me out here? Please?”

“Sure.” Blake said with a small smile and a fond eye roll.

She sat by Yang’s side and carefully and methodically used a sharp knife to cut away at the glue, muttering under her breath about getting acetone or something for future accidents.Once freed, Yang gave an over exaggerated shout and draped her arms over Blake’s shoulders and put on her best Southern Belle accent and fanned at her face.

“Why, Miss Belladonna, I do declare!” Yang said dramatically as Blake gave her a deadpan stare. “You just saved my life! My hero!”

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

“My hand was trapped! I would have starved.”

“I should have just left you to waste away if you’re going to be this dramatic about it.”

Yang grinned at her friend and winked cheekily, delighting in the small huff of laughter that she gave.

“It would be far less confusing if you  _ didn’t  _ cut all of the pieces out ahead of time.” Blake said thoughtfully, her left ear twitching as she gazed at the mess of parts in front of Yang.”That way, you can keep better track of them.”

“Ah. That would explain why it always takes me so long to build them.” Yang said with a thoughtful hum, mentally clapping herself on the back. At least now Blake wouldn’t wonder why Yang’s models rarely got built. “Figures that my favourite engineer would pick up that.” She teased lightly, smirking when Blake ignored her in favour of assessing the scattered parts. She could see her roommate’s mind going 100 miles per hour as she mentally pieced the parts together, the lack of order and numbers setting up a challenge that Yang could see that Blake was just itching to get her hands on. Yang grinned as an idea came to mind… she adored spending time with Blake and she loved seeing her work through a problem. So why not combine the two? “Care to lend your expertise, Head Engineer Belladonna?”

“If you’re sure you want it?”

“Of course!”

And that was how the two roommates spent their day; building a model replica of a black and yellow Ducati.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“... are you still mad at me?”

“Ask me after we buy the fucking acetone.”

Yang winced as Blake hissed at her under her breath, her cheeks bright red from embarrassment. 

“I said I was sorry! I just wanted a high five.”

“You had glue on your hand. You high fived me. And now, we’re stuck.”

“At least it was a low five? So it just looks like we’re holding hands? That’s less awkward, right?”

“God.” Blake groaned, face palming and letting out a frustrated huff of air. “I am literally glued hand-to-hand with my best friend. How does this even happen?”

“Because Your friend is a complete and utter dumbass and is very sorry?” Yang said, dropping her head to her friend’s shoulder with a pout. Blake sighed and begrudgingly nudged Yang’s head with her own affectionately, making Yang grin in response. Blake never could stay mad at her.

“AW! You two are such a cute couple!” The cashier cooed, her bright brown eyes lighting up as she looked at them holding hands. Yang stood up with a nervous giggle and watched as Blake gave the woman a look that could kill. Welp. That confirms Blake’s feeling on them being a couple, doesn't it? “Your colours even compliment each other! Talk about goals!”

“Acetone, please.” Blake said flatly, quirking an unimpressed eyebrow at the girl. “A friend of mine had an incident with some model glue. We need to get it to her as quickly as possible, please.”

“Oh no! That’s awful! I’ll grab it for you quickly.”

Yang sighed, sparing their entwined hands a glance as the girl ran off. She couldn’t deny how nice it felt to hold Blake’s hand like this. It was almost unfair how perfectly it fit in her own, as though they had been made to cradle the other. But if it made Blake  _ that  _ uncomfortable…

“Ugh.” Blake grumbled, moving to rest her forehead with a thunk against Yang’s shoulder. “I’m sorry that I’m being all snappy. I just… this is kind of embarrassing.”

“No, I get it. I’m sorry that this happened. Talk about a blonde moment, huh?” Yang joked, hoping to distract herself from the way her chest clenched painfully. 

“You know that you couldn’t be a blonde stereotype if you tried. You made Valedictorian, remember?” Blake huffed and stood up to glare at Yang indignantly.

“Aw, you do love me!”

“Of course I do, you big dope. You’re my best friend.” Blake sighed, smiling softly up at Yang. “Even if you do tend to drag me into…  _ sticky  _ situations.”

“Good. Because you’re  _ stuck _ with me.”

“And  _ to  _ you, apparently.”

“...I’m not going to live this down, am I?”

Blake’s answering smirk was all the response that Yang needed. She definitely wasn’t living this down anytime soon.


	15. Pitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, we see the start of a new project.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 15 - Pitch

“Hey, Blake! How’d your pitch go?”

Blake turned to stare tiredly at Sun Wukong, her receptionist, and gave him a weary smile. His tail, matching the blonde hair on his head, waved about excitedly as he grinned brightly at her. His button down shirt was unbuttoned down to his naval, despite Blake’s many,  _ many  _ lectures about professionalism. 

“Hi, Sun.” Blake said, wincing as she stretched out a knotted muscle in her neck. She had spent the evening prior sparring with Dragon. While Dragon, despite how much she had grown over the past two years, still struggled with ambush attacks, Blake was at a distinct disadvantage against the mighty Dragon of Vale when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Blake was adept at it and could hold her own for a period of time and even manage successful takedowns when it came to opponents that had a similar or lower level of skill. But with an opponent that was both stronger and more experienced in hand-to-hand? It was safe to say that her muscles were burning from the exercises that Dragon was putting her through. “The good news is that our Royal Highness has given us her holy blessing to go ahead with Project: Aura.”

“YES!” Sun laughed, fist pumping and winking playfully at Blake, who rolled her eyes at the gesture with a small smile. “I knew you could do it!”

“And the bad news is that she’s probably going to sell it to the military instead of providing our first responders with it.” Blake sighed, shaking her head gently as she turned to walk into her office. “But hey. Who gives a damn about keeping people safe when she can make a quick buck or two?”

“Oh. Uh… maybe… you could… contest it or whatever?”

“Maybe.” Blake huffed, her ears flicking irritably as Cinder’s insufferable smirk replayed in her mind. “Make sure that nobody bothers me for the remainder of the afternoon. I need to work on the schematics before speaking to my engineers.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Blake huffed softly to herself, smiling as she entered her office. Sun was a funny guy. Handsome and sweet in his own unique way. But his lack of propriety wasn’t something that appealed to Blake. 

Well… that and her heart already belonged to Yang, despite Yang very obviously not wanting it. 

“God. She doesn’t make moving on easy, does she?” Blake sighed as she sat at her desk and rubbed her face in exasperation. “Whatever. Maybe work will distract me for a bit.”

The project that Blake had mentioned to Sun, Project: Aura, was something that she had been working on for some time. Frontline workers had been suffering for years. Police, firefighters and paramedics had to deal with some exceedingly violent and dangerous situations. Even nurses and doctors suffered when it came to the more violent patients. This project would allow them to wear a device, such as a belt, to project a type of force field that would repel attacks whilst still allowing the wearer to work. This force field would be called Aura. Granted, it would most likely have a limited time of usage before the wearer had to either swap out or recharge the device but the potential behind it… Blake had been wanting to protect frontline workers for a long time and had been playing around with numerous ideas and had recently managed to come up with a game plan for it that allowed her to pitch it to Cinder and the board. 

But with the knowledge that Adam Taurus was coming for her, the device’s creation had become more important than ever. If she could just get it made  _ before  _ she and Dragon had to face him, they might actually stand a chance against him.

She just hoped that she could get it done before he decided to face her.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Hell yeah! I am so proud of you, Blake!”

“Thanks.” Blake laughed from where she sat on the kitchen counter, watching Yang cut vegetables for their stir fry that night. Yang looked over her shoulder and winked playfully, making Blake’s cheeks burn. “I just hope that Project:Aura can come through. It’s complicated and insane and-”

“And,” Yang interrupted, dropping her knife and turning around to face Blake with a bright smile. “It has an amazing team of engineers with the best lead engineer that any team could ask for.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I’ve heard a lot about her, you know, due to my being the best reporter in Vale.” Yang said, puffing up her chest with playful arrogance, a cheeky gleam entering her lilac eyes. “She’s smart, dedicated and passionate. She takes no shit and always does what’s right. She’s pretty badass… even if she is a nerd.”

“Then it makes sense why her best friend just happens to be the nerdiest reporter in Vale.” Blake shot back, her cheeks now a bright pink thanks to Yang’s compliments. “And a complete dork.”

“ _ A loveable  _ dork.”

“Debatable.” Blake said dryly as she jumped off of her counter and slipped around Yang and grabbed a slice of carrot and snorted indignantly at it before popping it in her mouth. “Fucking carrot.”

“Leave the fucking carrot alone. What did it ever do to you to earn such wrath?”

“Be a horrible weapon choice.”

Blake giggled when Yang growled at her and whacked her playfully with a teatowel, a small smile forming on her face.

“Let the movie go, Blake.”

“I will not!” Blake protested, crossing her arms as Yang sighed in an over exaggerated manner. “It made no fucking sense!”

“It’s been, like, a week!”

“That’s how shit it was!” Blake huffed, poking Yang in the nose. She grinned when Yang went briefly cross eyed. “It was burned into my mind!”

Blake darted out of the way of Yang as she reached to grab her, nabbing a handful of vegetables as she went.

“Hey!”

“Hey, yourself, Sunshine.” Blake called teasingly, winking playfully at her best friend as she walked into the living room. She giggled at the sound of Yang’s frustrated shout, delighting in the laughter that followed. 

Blake knew, no matter what, that  _ this _ wasn’t something that she was willing to let go of. These quiet moments with her best friend? Laughter shared and taunts thrown? The support and care that they shared?

Like hell would she just walk away from it all.


	16. Porter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Yang spend some time together after work...
> 
> But things don’t exactly go to plan...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 16 - Porter
> 
> Porter is apparently a type of bitter beer? Never knew that one until I did some research.

“I still can’t believe that you drink Porter.”

“It’s, like, eight years since you found out. How are you still weirded out by this?”

“Yeah! Because it’s bitter as fuck!”

Yang glared at Blake as she laughed, her cat ears flicking with amusement across the table. She should have known that Blake would show off a little when they decided to go out to their regular bar but still. Blake didn’t  _ have  _ to show Yang up like this.

“It’s not my fault that all you can handle is fruity little drinks.” Blake smirked slyly at her, reaching over to snag Yang’s drink and give it a sniff before pretending to gag. “Seriously… I thought you were butch.”

“I  _ am  _ butch!” Yang yelled indignantly, snatching her drink back from her friend with a huff. Blake giggled and leaned back in her chair with a cheeky smile, her amber eyes twinkling with mischief. Yang mentally cursed as Blake’s button shifted, the top buttons undone and revealing the barest hint of a black bra. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and her tie was loose around her neck, her blazer thrown haphazardly over her chair. Yang really needed to invite Blake out to drinks after her meeting because  _ wow,  _ did it ever suit her.... Pun not intended. “My choice in drinks does not dictate that, thank very much, you stupid femme.”

“Femme? You and I both know that I’m soft butch.” Blake huffed, taking a sip of her beer and quirking a brow. “You, dear heart, are, at most, futch.”

“Ugh.” Yang groaned as she sipped at her Strawberry Sunrise, smiling despite herself. “How many times did we have this argument in college?” 

“Too many.” Blake chuckled softly, her smile softening before instantly becoming sharp as she leaned forward and looked over at Yang coyly. “Usually after I drank your delicate ass under the table.”

“Delicate? I am  _ not  _ delicate! Do you have any idea how badly I could kick your ass?”

“You can kick my ass all you want, Kitten, you’re harmless when inebriated.” 

“... What was that?” Yang said staring at Blake blankly, her lilac eyes wide. Black Poison had called her that when Yang had been trying to sneak into her warehouse to get more information on her. Why would  _ Blake _ of all people call her that? “Kitten?!”

No… No! There’s absolutely no way in hell that it could be her! Right? 

“Kittens are harmless. You’re harmless when you get drunk. Simple comparison.” Blake said tilting her head at Yang slightly before snorting and pointing at her shirt. “Plus, you’re literally wearing that shirt where the cat’s flipping you off if you open the pocket. It made sense in the moment.”

Right. Of course she wasn’t. Even if, by some miniscule chance, that Blake was Black Poison, Yang would have recognised her best friend of  _ eight fucking years  _ immediately. And with her being a figurehead of a company and the head engineer, there was no way that Blake had the time for it. 

“Right… well please refrain.” Yang said dryly, rolling her eyes and hiding her blush behind her glass. “It’s nearly as bad as sweetheart.”

“Sure. Sorr-”

“Oi! Bella-bitch!”

Yang and Blake both turned to the heavily inebriated man with matching frowns. Neither of them recognised him. 

“Your- your company ran me out of business!” The man snarled as he approached Blake on wobbly, uncoordinated legs. “I was sellin’ lil tech shit of my own until you fucked that up for me! You sued me!”

“Sir.” Blake said firmly, standing up to her full height and pulling her shoulders back. “I am deeply sorry for what happened to you. I am. But I no longer have control over that side of matters. I am just a figurehead. But I will  _ gladly _ discuss this matter with you further.” Blake said, her voice shifting, compassion and understanding softening her tone as she reached into her blazer and held out a card to the man. Yang could tell that Blake was trying to defuse the situation as quickly as possible. “Here. Call my receptionist and we can arrange an appointment and we can talk about your situation more in depth.”

For a long moment, it looked like the man was going to relent and walk away, as he stared at the card. But then, his hand shot out, striking Blake across the face in a backhanded slap as he began to shout and move forward again, presumably to strike Blake again. But Yang was quicker; She grabbed his twisted arm behind his back and slammed him face first into the table as she snarled lowly into his ear.

“Watch it, mother fucker. I have over eight years of fighting experience. I  _ can _ and  _ will  _ use it. Do not push me.” She warned, pressing her hand into a nerve in his neck to drive the point home. Once he relented, going limp, she glanced up at Blake, who was holding her mouth and staring wide eyed at the man, evidently in shock. “Stay here. I’m going to throw this asshole out, okay?” Yang said softly, watching in concern as Blake shakily sat down with a weak nod. With that said, Yang pulled the man up and frog marched him to the door, ignoring all obscenities that he began to yell. Without any further word to him, she threw him out onto the sidewalk, glowering down at him before slamming the door shut and making her way to Blake. She paused by the bar and snagged a handful of napkins and, upon reaching their table, grabbed her chair and brought it around so that she could sit by Blake. “Here. Let me take a look.”

“I can handle myself.”

“Yes, our college days made me painfully aware of that fact, Belladonna.” Yang sighed as she gently cupped Blake’s jaw and ran her thumb carefully over her split lip. She frowned as Blake flinched before rolling her eyes at Yang dramatically. “But you know that I'm a worrywart so… let me help. Please?”

“...fine.”

Yang smiled gratefully and narrowed her eyes slightly at the split in Blake’s lip and huffed under her breath angrily as she carefully dabbed at Blake’s lip with a napkin, frowning as some blood stained the white fabric. She bit her own lip as Blake closed her eyes, silently placing trust into Yang’s care and it took all of Yang’s willpower not to kiss her nose. For just a moment, Yang could almost swear that Blake leaned into her palm. She could almost convince herself that thing were different… that Blake-

“What’s the verdict, Doctor?” Blake murmured softly, startling Yang out of her reverie. “Will my smile still be pretty?”

“Ugh. Nerd.” Yang said affectionately, pulling away and dropping the napkin to the table and desperately trying to get her heart to calm the hell down. 

“Hey, that's why we’re friends.” Blake said with a small laugh, tilting her head at Yang softly. “Nerds stick together.”

“I still don’t know how you managed to be one of the biggest nerds on campus while still getting into the most trouble.”

“I’m bi. Duality is kind of my thing.

“Blake!” Yang let out a most unattractive snort as she playfully cuffed Blake’s leg.”God, you’re such a dork.”

“Hmm.” Blake hummed, wincing as her lips stretched into a smile, her split lip most definitely hurting. “Anyway… thank you, Yang.”

“Please.” Yang snorted, rolling her eyes as she smiled softly at Blake. “You’re my best friend. Like hell I’d let some punk just hurt you like that.”

“My hero.” Blake drawled sarcastically before leaning over to give Yang a grateful kiss on her cheek. “I’m pretty lucky to have a best friend like you, you know that?”

‘No.’ Yang thought to herself as Blake turned to finish off her beer. ‘I’m pretty sure that  _ I’m  _ the lucky one, just to have you in my life like this, Blake.”

Nothing could possibly make her give what they had up.


	17. Pool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, we watch one of Dragon and Black Poison’s training sessions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 17 - Pool

“Ugh!”

Blake let out an aggravated grunt as her back hit the ground. She hissed angrily as Dragon sat on her hips and restrained her wrists, pinning her to the floor. Theri breaths, visible in the cold air of the night, mingled as they panted, chests heaving with exertion.

“Well,” Dragon chuckled breathlessly as she stared down at Blake, her golden helmet glinting in the moonlight that crept in through the open skylight. “This feels… very familiar.”

“It’s so sweet that I left a lasting impression on you.” Blake retorted, narrowing her amber eyes at the woman on top of her. “I almost feel bad for not thinking about it since.”

“But you knew what I was talking about.”

“Kind of hard not to since that was the last time that you pinned me by my wrists.” Blake huffed, growling and trying to fight back against the strong hold. “Fuck!”

“Your hand-to-hand is pretty good.” Dragon said quietly, tilting her head and smirking down at her. “But you still need to work on grappling. You can punch and kick as hard as you want but if MinoTaur is able to get close to you… you’re done for, Doll.”

Blake watched as Dragon stood and stretched before she slammed her foot into the back of her knee and wrapped an arm around her neck in a choke hold. She grunted as Dragon slammed her elbow back into Blake’s ribs and grabbed her now loosened arm and flipped her over her shoulder and slammed her to the ground before casually strolling over to a crate and grabbing her water bottle.

“You’re physically weaker than I am. You’re not going to get anywhere by overpowering me. Your hand-to-hand is great for your everyday dirtbag. But when it comes to a real threat? Somebody bigger and stronger than you? You need to rely on takedowns and judo throws more than physical force. You may be smaller but that also gives you advantage. You’re more agile. You use ambush attacks with your weapons so do the same thing with your body.” Dragon said calmly, as she leaned against the crate. 

“Where did you learn all of this?”

“I have eight plus years of fighting experience.”

Blake froze for a moment and stared at the ceiling where she laid and felt her heart skip a beat. Hadn’t Yang said something very similar recently?

“Eight plus, huh?” Blake said nonchalantly, her ears flicking curiously as she sat up on her elbows and quirked a brow at Dragon. “Mixed martial arts?”

“I studied kickboxing and karate for most of those years.”

Blake flopped back down and bit back a sigh of relief. Yang had always said that she was all over the place with her training throughout the years and, looking at how Dragon was training her and how she fought, it just wasn’t possible that they were the same person. 

Plus Yang would never defend Cinder Fall. Not when she knew how much that woman had hurt her. There was no way in hell that  _ Yang,  _ of all people, would go out of her way to be a guardian to the woman that had taken so much from Blake. Yang wouldn’t do that.

Blake  _ knew  _ that. Hell, she’d gladly start a betting pool about it.

  
  


“Right. Well…” Blake said as she arched her back and stretched before standing, smirking when she noticed her… colleague watching her with rapt attention. “Let’s see if we can do something about your tendency to fall victim to ambushes. We’re lucky that MinoTaur is no Femme Fatale otherwise, we’d be doomed.”

“I-you-it!” Dragon sputtered indignantly,choking on her water. “Oh please! Don’t act like that night didn’t affect you too!”

“It meant nothing.” Blake said calmly, staring into Dragon’s eyes as best as she could. “It was a ploy. A trap and you fell for it. Simple as that, Golden Girl.”

Blake turned her back on Dragon and walked over to her weapons, coiling her ribbon at her hip and placing her swords at her back. She inhaled deeply, shakily, before turning around with a smirk and quirking an eyebrow.

“Your lesson starts now.”

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Blake sighed wearily as she hung up her coat in their hallway and walked towards the living room, wincing as her neck cracked painfully. She really needed to get Project: Aura up and running soon. Getting thrown into a fucking wall was not fun in the slightest. She unbuttoned her white shirt slightly and took her hair out of its ponytail, fully intent on flopping onto their couch and relaxing. But she soon realised that the couch was already taken.

Yang laid sprawled along the couch, her hair falling into her face as soft snores left her. For as annoying as they might sound to some, Blake had always found them to be a sort of comforting whitenoise over the years. 

“You have it bad, Belladonna.” Blake whispered to herself as she grabbed the throw blanket off of the back of the couch and gently placed it over Yang. She hesitated for a moment before tenderly moving Yang’s hair from her face as she slept peacefully. Her hand tucked a strand of golden hair behind Yang’s ear and trailed down her jae before cupping it gently, her thumb caressing her cheek lovingly. Blake swallowed thickly as Yang hummed sleepily and smiled in her sleep, nuzzling adorably against Blake’s hand. “So, so bad.” Blake sighed shakily and leaned forward and pressed a soft, lingering kiss against Yang’s forehead, something that she’d never have the courage to do if she were awake.

Blake pulled away and began to make her way to her room, as she desperately tried to ignore the stinging sensation behind her eyes. It had been so tempting to give in and lay down beside Yang. To curl up to her and drink her in. For Yang’s face to be the last thing she saw before she dozed off and for Yang’s heartbeat to be the music that lulled her into a peaceful slumber.

But she just couldn’t risk it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These girls are killing me with their pining.


	18. Fairy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, we see that not everything is as it seems with our beloved hero...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 18 - Fairy

“Mother fuck-”

Yang nearly jumped out her skin when she opened her eyes the next morning and saw Blake crouched on the arm of their couch like a  _ goddamn fucking gargoyle _ . Yang stared blankly at her best friend for several long moments as Blake quirked an eyebrow and took a bite of her fairy bread. Yang still remembered her own disgust when she had first seen Blake put butter and sprinkles onto a slice of bread. 

“Okay… first of; the fuck you doing that for? Sitting like a gargoyle's my job.” Yang said teasingly as she stretched out her back, her heart slowing down from the early morning terror. “Second of all; why? And third of all; are you seriously eating fairy bread?”

“You are literally taking up the whole couch and I needed somewhere to sit.” Blake said dryly, casting Yang an unimpressed stare. Her ears gave away her amusement, however. “Also… don’t you fucking dare judge my fairy bread. It’s good and I needed something for breakfast.”

“No. It really isn't.” Yang drawled, making a face when Blake very pointedly took a bite, her cat ears pressing against her head in an adorable pout. “Also… why the fuck are you eating fairy bread for breakfast?!” Yang yelled as she sat up to glare at Blake, mildly outraged. “That’s not- you need proper food, you absolute gremlin of a woman!”

“Maybe I would have cooked myself up something if a cerain somebody hadn’t banned me from cooking in my  _ own damn kitchen _ ! In my own home! Where I pay  _ half of the fucking rent!” _

“Cereal, Blake! You could have had cereal!”

“We ran out. We had bread, butter and sprinkles so I worked with what I had.” Blake smirked at her as she took the last bite of her bread, her amber eyes gleaming mischievously. “Adapt or die, dear heart.”

“... you worry me. You know that? You really worry me sometimes.”

“I worry myself, too.”

Yang growled and playfully poked Blake in the hip with her foot, causing Blake to teeter on her perch. Blake gave an indignant squeal as she desperately tried to right herself. Unfortunately, this resulted in her overcompensating and flailing her body to the right… directly where Yang was laying. Both women let out soft grunts as Blake landed on top of Yang. Blake braced her arms on either side of Yang’s head and lifted herself up, freezing as her amber eyes met Yang’s lilac ones. Yang felt her breathing hitch as she and Blake stared at each other, their noses brushing. Yang’s hands naturally fell to Blake’s waist, her thumbs subconsciously stroking her sides once. Her mouth felt dry and all she could think about was how  _ fucking pretty _ Blake was. If Ruby, Penny and Weiss found out about this, none of them would stop teasing her about this.

“Uh… good morning to you, too.” Yang joked weakly, her heart racing as Blake’s ears pinned back in alarm. “What? Did somebody need a hug?”

“Um!” Blake squeaked, quickly crawling off of Yang, falling to the floor in the process. “Sorry! But in my defence, you pushed me!”

“Uh… yeah. My bad. “Yang said awkwardly as she sat up. She watched as Blake sat beside her, her body tense. She inwardly sighed. It had felt so right to hold Blaake like that, even if it was just for a moment. But it looked like Blake felt uncomfortable with it. “Um… I’m just going to… make myself some real food. Do you want any?”

“Please.” Blake mumbled, obstinately refusing to look at Yang. 

“Right.”

Yang made her way to the kitchen, desperately trying to ignore the way her chest clenched painfully. 

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Ah, Dragon. Our most loyal guardian. To what do I owe the pleasure”

Yang cringed as Cinder crooned at her, an attempt at a sweet smile on her face. To be quite frank, it didn’t suit her. 

“I have some questions about how you’re running the company.” Yang said, as short as she ever was. She crossed her arms and stared sternly at Cinder, rolling her eyes under her helmet when Cinder adjusted her posture. She really was trying too hard, wasn’t she? 

“Oh? Have I done something wrong?”

‘Oh, honey.’ Yang thought to herself, her chest bubbling over with unspoken anger. She could still remember how heartbroken Blake had been when the company had been bought out from under her. Felt her pain when Cinder had blackmailed her… ‘you have no idea.’

“Not at all.” Yang said calmly, forcing herself to smile at Cinder. She felt her skin crawl with disgust as Cinder smiled back, more flirty this time. “I simply want to see if I can figure out Black Poison’s motive.” Technically, she already knew. But Cinder didn’t have to know that. 

“Of course.” Cinder purred, smiling coyly. “Anything for my hero.”

‘Ew, ew, ew!’ Yang thought to herself. ‘The things that I put up with for love!’

“Why don’t you bring that chair around and sit next to me? I can walk you through what we do here at Schnee Tech.”

‘You mean Belladonna Tech, you thieving bitch.’ Yang thought to herself, desperately biting her tongue. She just needed to earn Cinder’s trust. If she could convince her that Dragon was on her side, for better or worse, she might be able to get a confession out of her and record it. She despised doing this. She knew how Blake felt about Dragon’s interactions with Cinder. But Yang needed to get close enough for Cinder to give up that information willingly. And telling Blake about it could undo all of her hard work if Blake accidentally let something slip…

“For a woman as gorgeous as yourself? I would love to, darlin’” Yang chuckled, ignoring the way her stomach churned uncomfortably. She hated this plan with every fibre of her being.

It hurt to “side” with the woman responsible for so much of Blake's pain. But if she could get that confession, she could begin to unravel Cinder and all of her little friends from the inside out. 


	19. Navy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, our engineer adds further complication to her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 19 - Navy

_ “A devastating blow has struck the East End of Vale. Retired Navy captain, Ash Forest, was found brutally murdered in his own home. The cruel attack follows the callous murder of West End politician Leonardo Lionhart. Both murders were left with a grisly cally card that the local police force are refusing to disclose.” _

“Oh, God.” Blake felt her throat close up as she sat by Yang’s side on the couch, watching Lisa Lavender's evening report. She felt Yang shift to face her but found herself unable to respond. “Ash…” The universe really was hell bent on taking everything from her, wasn’t it?

“You knew him?”

“Yeah.” Blake said, her voice strained as tears blurred her vision. “He… he doesn’t have any family left to take care of him so- so I kept him company when I went to the East End. He reminded me of my mum in so many ways.” Blake ducked her head, grief and anger bubbling up in her chest. Adam wanted her to know. He wanted her to  _ hurt. _ He wanted her to know that he was coming for her and that there was  _ nothing  _ that she could do to stop him. “He was a good man. I-”

“Oh, Blake.” Yang cooed softly curling her arms around Blake’s shoulders and pulling her close. Blake sunk in the warm embrace, allowing Yang to hold her close as she buried her head into Yang’s neck, silent tears hitting her skin. “I’m so sorry.”

‘Fuck.’ Blake thought to herself, desperately seeking out the comfort that Yang was so willing to give. ‘How many more lives is he going to take before he shows his face?”

///////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Miss Bella-”

“Dragon, God so help me, I am not in the mood!” Blake snapped as she typed aggressively at her computer, saving her work before turning in her chair to glare at the golden armoured hero as she stepped in from the balcony. “I am having a really,  _ really _ shit time right now and I swear to whatever the fuck shit God is listening, I will throw you off of my balcony the _ very moment  _ any kind of flirtation leaves your lips, are we clear?” Blake warned as she stood up and paced back and forth in front of her desk, her pinning in aggravation and the fur on her ears puffing up angrily. She knew that she was a mess. Mascara tinted tear stains ran down her cheeks, her hair was falling from her ponytail and her clothes were more disheveled than she usually allowed. “I am both physically and mentally at my limit. Actually… fuck that! I’m beyond my limit! The limit does not exist!”

“I’m sorry.”

“What?” Blake whirled around and stared at Dragon in surprise. The hero stood with her head bowed, a genuine and truly apologetic energy to her as she slowly approached Blake. 

“I hear about what happened in the East End. I know that… you put a lot of energy and resources into the people there. I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you.” Dragon stopped several feet away from Blake and met her gaze, a worried frown pulling at her lips. “I wanted to make sure that you were okay, Miss Belladonna.”

“Oh. How sweet.” Blake said blankly, taken aback. It was… unnerving seeing the usually cocky hero talk without all of her swagger. It made her seem infinitely more human. Though, Blake supposed, since agreeing to work with her, Blake had been seeing just how human Dragon was. “Um. Thanks, I guess.”

“Our last meeting… you mentioned increasing your security measures. How has that been going?”

“We’ve increased guard patrols and made advancements to our security cameras and alarm systems.” Blake tilted her head, faking concern. “Do you have reason to believe that I’m next? Has Black Poison changed her tactics?” Blake already knew Dragon’s answer, of course. But she needed to appear as clueless as possible to keep her cover up.

“No, I don’t. I merely want to ensure that you’re safe. You do amazing things for this town, Miss Belladonna. It would be a devastating blow if we were to lose you.” Dragon’s voice was soft, her lips quirking upwards into a small smile. “I know you don’t agree with how I operate but please know that I have nothing but respect and admiration for all that you do. Losing you would bring more upset than I think that you realise.” Dragon paused before continuing, obviously trying to determine how much she could say. “This isn’t Black Poison. I assure you that she’s innocent.”

“She’s the biggest threat this town has.” Blake snorted, rolling her eyes. “Who else could it be?”

“Someone new.” Dragon said quietly, looking around nervously before stepping close to Blake and leaning in to murmur quietly into her ear. “I can personally say that BP is innocent. I know how hard it is for you to trust me, but give me the benefit of the doubt here.”

“So… a new threat, hmm?” Blake swallowed thickly, her gaze locked onto Dragon’s collar bone. There was something… different about Dragon. Blake didn’t know if it was in the way Dragon was behaving or due to her spending more time with the mighty Dragon of Vale… but something  _ felt  _ different. “And how dangerous is this threat?”

“I suggest having security walk you to your car from now on.” Dragon said as she, in an absent minded manner, reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind Blake’s ear, making her freeze in shock. “There’s a storm coming and I’d rather you not be caught up in it.”

“Shouldn’t you be saving your warnings for your precious Cinder, hero?” Blake whispered harshly. She didn’t like how hot her cheeks were getting. She couldn’t stand how her heart raced. 

“You’ll understand one day.” Dragon said with a small shake of her head. “Maybe I’ll explain it to you after we stop-” Dragon cut herself off abruptly stepping back from Blake as she cursed under her breath, an angry snarl twisting her lips as she realised her mistake.

“We?” Blake parroted, sensing an opportunity to give “Black Poison” more gear without Dragon becoming suspicious of how. “You’re working with someone? To stop whoever it is that’s killing people? Wait!” Blake widened her eyes, pretending to be scandalised. “Is it Black Poison?  _ You’re working with the woman you’ve been fighting for two fucking years?!” _

“I shouldn’t have said that. I should  _ not  _ have said that.” Dragon muttered under her breath, her body tense as she watched Blake carefully. “Do  _ not-” _

“Relax, Lizard. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thank you.”

“But… maybe I can help you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Simple.” Blake shrugged as she walked over to Dragon and smacked the back of her hand against her armour and glared up at her. “Somehow, you two have both ended up with  _ my  _ tech. I don’t like people stealing from me.” Blake growled lowly as she ran a critical eye over Dragon’s suit. “You both know how to use it. But you claim that there’s a new threat, right? Somebody dangerous?” Blake paused as Dragon nodded, her jaw clenching as she gazed down at Blake. “I can help you. I can give technology that could assist you both.” Blake stopped and gave Dragon a dry, unimpressed look. “Maybe then you’ll both stop stealing my shit.”

“I can’t drag you-”

“Oh, you're not dragging.” Blake quipped, quirking an eyebrow. “I’m walking with my head held high, thank you very little.” She tilted her head and, for the first time all day, a smirk grew across her face as Dragon’s cheeks flushed. “Face it, Gecko. You and Black Poison? You both need me.” Blake stepped back to her desk and pulled out a business card from her drawer and scribbled her personal number onto the back of this. “Take this. Talk to Black Poison. Call me.” Blake said as she placed the card into Dragon’s hand and stepped back. 

“I- I still don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Either accept my help or stop stealing my shit.”

“... Goddamn, you’re a feisty one, huh?”

“What did I say about flirting?”

“I know, I know.” Dragon smirked cockily at her and stepped back with a bow. “Allow me to the honours for you, my Lady.” Dragon clicked her tongue and shot Blake a pair of finger guns before running and jumping off of the balcony, her rocket powered boots activating and sending her skyward.

Blake sighed wearily and sat down at her desk heavily. Not only was she working with Dragon as Blake Poison, but she was also working with both Dragon  _ and  _ Black Poison as Blake.

So much for her civilian life  _ not  _ being as complicated as her alter ego’s.


	20. Ridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, Blake learns that sometimes, heartbreak can be beautiful.
> 
> Especially when it’s done by Yang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 20 - Ridge

“God, the Golden Ridge Mountains was the worst article I have ever been forced to write.”

Blake lifted her head and gave Yang a small side smile. Her friend was sitting on the floor and going through her scrapbook, rereading her old articles. Blake was quite content to curl up on the couch with her tea and book, quietly listening to Yang’s running commentary.

“It was a great article.” Blake smirked, her left cat ear flicking in amusement as she marked her page and placed her book to the side. “Truly, entertaining and informative. Never have I ever been so enthralled by the different types of rocks found in the Golden Ridge Mountain range.” Blake grinned teasingly at Yang and reached over to bat playfully at her blonde hair as she spoke. “I definitely didn’t fall asleep reading it at all.”

“Listen here, you!” Yang growled playfully as she caught Blake’s wrist in her hand and gave a gentle tug, bringing her to the floor in a heap. She quickly grabbed her by her waist and pulled her close, wrapping one strong arm around her and using her free hand to tickle her ribs without mercy. “How’s this for boring? Am I boring you yet? Are you enthralled now, Belladonna? Huh?” She teased gently, as Blake laughed in her grasp.

“Yang!” Blake squealed as she snorted and giggled, batting helplessly at Yang’s hands. “Stop! I can’t breath!”

“Flatterer.”

“God, why am I even friends with you!” Blake yelped as Yang jabbed her ribs one final time before finally letting her collapse to the floor in a giggling, uncoordinated heap. 

“You made fun of my work!”

“The writing was amazing but the source material was dull.” Blake chuckled as she wiped tears of mirth from her eyes as she sat up. She rolled her eyes as she attempted to fix her ponytail, tucking shorter strands of hair behind her ears. She scooted over to sit beside Yang and looked at the different articles strewn across the pages of the scrapbook. “It wasn’t your fault that not many people enjoy reading about the differences between rocks.”

“Hmm.” Yang hummed, bumping Blake’s shoulder playfully with her own, an amused smile on her face. “I suppose so. I still don’t know why you feel the need to collect every article that I write.”

“Because it’s important.” Blake said softly, resting her chin on Yang’s shoulder and leaning into her side. “You’re an amazing, talented writer and I think that you sometimes forget that. This serves as your little reminder.”

“You sentimental sap.” Yang sighed softly, leaning her head against Blake’s affectionately. “You really are the best friend that I could ask for. You know that, right? It’s always felt like you could see the real me, you know. Not the blonde hair or good looks. You never saw a stereotype when you looked at me. I appreciate that. I appreciate _you_.”

“Yang.” Blake murmured, her voice thick with emotion. Eight years and Yang’s easy affection still took her by surprise. It was mildly terrifying how her words both broke and healed Blake’s battered heart in so many ways. “You’ve always been more than a stereotype to me. You’re my best friend and it’s hard to imagine life without you in it.”

“Well… I’m not going anywhere.”

“Neither am I.” Blake smiled, her heart both full and threatening to crack open. She sat with Yang as she went through her articles, laughing and telling Blake stories that she knew by heart. Stories that Blake would listen to, time and time again, just to hear the passion in Yang’s voice and the excitement that made her gorgeous lilac eyes light up like nothing else. 

All while her heart broke in the most beautiful way.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“That goddamn, mother fucking bitch!”

Blake snarled as she stormed out of her room. She could feel Yang’s worried gaze on her as she paced back and forth in front of her angrily. 

“All of the hours that my team and I put into Project: Aura… just for it to be used as a fucking weapon? _I_ came up with the idea! _I_ designed it! And that bitch is going to put her name on it and sell it to the fucking military!” Blake was shaking with outrage, her eyes welling up with frustrated tears. “The General is going to _abuse_ it! It should be going to our frontline workers! Police, firefighters, paramedics and medical care staff! This is wrong!”

“Blake.” Yang breathed as she stood and pulled Blake into her arms. “Fuck. Can you-“

“The entire Goddamn board is against me.” Blake growled, as she buried her face into Yang’s neck. “With everyone against me, I have nothing to stand on.”

“Oh. Oh, Blake.” Yang cooed sympathetically. She pulled Blake over to their couch and sat down, tugging Blake into her side and running her hand through her hair as Blake inhaled shakily. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“God, it’s like every time I try to do something _right_ , that woman turns it into a shameless cash grab!” Blake laughed mirthlessly. “It feels like the entire damn universe is against me.”

“I’m not.” Yang said softly, tightening her arms protectively around Blake. “No matter what happens, I will _always_ stand with you. Okay? You’re not alone.”

“I-“ Blake’s breathing hitched as Yang’s fingers ran down her spine, tracing patterns into her back soothingly. “I know. I just… I’m so tired of losing.”

“I know.” Yang sighed, lifting her head as Blake nudged her own head under Yang’s chin. She rested her chin on Blake’s head and spoke softly, mindful of the sensitive cat ears by her mouth. 

For a split second, Blake could have sworn that there was a tone of guilt to Yang’s voice but then, it was gone as quickly as it came. She shook herself out of it. She must have imagined it.

“Want me to hold you for a bit, bud?”

“Please?”

Yang didn’t say anything, opting to fall back against the back of the couch, pulling Blake with her. Blake closed her eyes and focused on the soothing beat of Yang’s heart. 

When everything was going to Hell in a handbasket, Yang was her escape from it all. Yang was safety and home. Yang was what stopping her from falling off of the edge that she had been walking ever since Adam made his presence known. 

Yang was her everything. And she'd do whatever it took to keep her safe.


	21. Mutual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It totally doesn’t count as a date... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 21 - Mutual

“Yang?”

“Hmm?””

“Have I ever told you that you’re my best friend?”

“I do seem to recall that you have, yes.” Yang said with a small chuckle, keeping her gaze on her laptop. While she wasn’t complaining about Blake being affectionate, Yang had learned over the past eight years enough to know when Blake was wheedling. “The feeling is very mutual, Blake.”

“And that I’m very lucky to have you in my life?” Blake said, her tone honeysweet as she wiggled closer to Yang on the couch. Yang felt her shift to rest her elbow on the back of the couch, her hand cradling her head as she watched Yang. “Seriously. What would I do-”

“Blake. What do you want?” Yang smirked as she turned to face her, biting back a laugh at Blake’s pout. It really was unfair how cute this woman was sometimes.

“Why must I want something? Can’t a girl compliment her best friend?” Blake huffed before tilting her head at Yang as she sat up. “Also… have you done something with your hair? It looks really good!”

“No. I have not.” Yang grinned, amused. “Come on. I know you want something so spill.”

“Ugh.” Blake groaned as she slumped against Yang’s shoulder, causing Yang’s breath to hitch lightly. “Fine. So… The Governor of Vale is throwing a ball and I need you to come as my plus one.”

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

“Because Jacque Schnee is going to be in attendance and you’re the only one that I know that I’m okay with throwing me over their shoulder if I get…  _ fired up _ .” Blake said dryly, shooting Yang a playfully annoyed look. “God knows that you got enough practice in college.”

“Because you never looked after yourself.” Yang shot back, carefully placing her laptop on the coffee table to give Blake her full attention. “Also… I’m pretty sure that Sun guy could-”

“I said “that I’m okay with,” Yang. I’m  _ not  _ okay with Sun throwing me over his shoulder.” Blake said quietly, smiling softly at her. “If it were anyone else… they might end up with a couple of bruises.” Blake shrugged and nonchalantly fell into Yang’s lap, rolling over to gaze up at her. “I don’t like being touched.”

“But I’m different?”

“You’re my best friend.” Blake said, blinking slowly up at her, her gaze soft and her voice tender. “I trust you.”

“Um… thank you.” Yang murmured, fighting against the urge to pull Blake into a kiss. But as she observed Blake making herself more comfortable in her lap, Yang felt guilt pierce her heart. If Blake knew that it was  _ Yang  _ cuddling up to Cinder as Dragon, Yang had no doubt that it would make a major dent in that trust. She had to get Cinder to confess and soon. Maybe once that was done, he could come clean. “I trust you too.” Even she was keeping secrets from her.

“So… will you come with me? Please?” Blake asked sweetly, her ears tilting back as she pouted up at Yang.

“I guess so. Haven’t had the chance to wear a dress in a while.” Yang said thoughtfully. She frowned and let out a soft sigh. “I don’t even know if any of mine fit me anymore.”

“Okay. One; you’re more in shape than when we were in college so those dresses will fit you just fine. I swear, you could eat a whole cake and not gain a pound.” Blake grumbled up at her in a good natured way. “And two; if worst comes to worst, I can help you.”

“You are  _ so  _ not buying me a dress.”

“I have more money than I know what to do with. I don’t need it. I don’t feel comfortable having that much money.” Blake reminded her with a grimace. “If I can use it to help others and make them smile or whatever, then at least I can do some good with it.”

“I’m not-”

“A charity case, yes, I know. I am very aware of that. But let me spoil my best friend once in a while, would you?” Blake wiggled further into Yang’s lap and closed her eyes, seemingly content to relax and use Yang as a resting spot. “What’s the point of having money if I can’t help people and spoil the people I love?”

“I-.” Yang sighed, rolling her eyes. Blake really was too sweet sometimes. “Fine. But let me check my closet to see if I’ve got anything suitable first. If there’s nothing, then you can go all Pretty Woman on me.”

“So.... you’re going to come to the ball?”

“Yup. Somebody has to be the voice of reason.”

“You jumped off a roof into somebody’s pool during our last semester.” 

“And you stole Cardin’s car and left on the beach and spray painted it bright, neon pink.”

“Because that bastard was repeatedly being nasty to your sister.” Blake shot back, lazily blinking open one amber eye. “He had it coming.”

“He only had himself to blame.” Yang sang back with a laugh, delighting in the giggle that Blake gave.

“If you’d been there!”

“If you had seen it!”

“I betcha you would have done the same!” Both girls finished in unison, laughing softly together. Yang took a moment to observe Blake, a fond smile tugging at her lips. Blake had gone through hell these past couple of months. It was good to hear her laugh like this. 

Yang prayed that it would last.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

A couple of days later, after Yang had gone through her closet and came to the conclusion that she certainly didn’t have a suitable dress, Yang walked into her room to find a garment cover on her bed and immediately rolled her eyes fondly. Blake truly was a woman of her word.

“A note? Seriously, bud?” Yang chuckled softly. “You are  _ such  _ a nerd.”

_ As promised, since you have nothing fitting, here’s that dress. Hopefully, my taste isn’t as horrible as it was in college.  _

_ Love, your best friend, _

_ Blake Belladonna _

“Dork.” Yang whispered, her cheeks flushing. She sighed heavily to herself. “Now if only this were a proper date.” She mumbled as she placed the hanger on the back of her door. She slid the zipper down and let out a gasp as the dress was revealed.

Yang bit her lip and ran a hand down the fabric, a smile tugging at her lips. Blake’s taste has most definitely improved over the years. Because Yang was going to be turning heads at that ball.

She could only hope that Blake’s would be one of them.


	22. Governor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, we watch our lovely little bees have a fun night out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 22 - Governor

Blake inhaled deeply and ran a hand through her hair. She smiled nervously at her reflection in her full length mirror and ran an appraising eye over herself. Her hair was down and loosely curled, coming to a stop just below her shoulders, delicately framing her face. She had opted for a slightly more dramatic look, choosing a dramatic smokey eye with a dark lipstick. As for what she wore… Blake knew how these high prestige balls operated, especially those run by the Governor. Women wore beautiful dresses and the men wore suits and the pretty women on their arms. Blake… well, Blake never had been one for following the rules.

She wore a black tuxedo suit, with a suit vest underneath her jacket, the top button of it coming to rest just below her chest. Her shirt was a simple, white button down and her pants were slim fitting. She wore a black pair of high heels that had a subtle gold accent. The entire entire suit was cut and tailored to compliment her body and Blake honestly felt pretty good about herself. She would even dare to say that she looked hot. And she couldn’t deny that a part of her was hoping that would think so too,

“Damn it.” Blake cursed under her breath as she fidgeted with her yellow bowtie, her ears pinning in irritation. “I’m beginning to understand why Sun calls these fuckers neck traps. Maybe Yang knows how to do this.” She sighed, stepping back from the mirror and allowing her tie to drape loosely over her neck. She shook her head and left her room and headed to the living room where she had heard Yang puttering about after she had finished getting ready just minutes ago. “Hey, Yang? Could you-”

Blake felt all air leave her lungs as she raised her head to look at Yang. For a moment, it was like she was a period drama. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Yang turned around in her much shorter, golden heels to look back at Blake. The dress that Blake had picked out for her suited her about as well as Blake had thought it would. It was a bright yellow with a form fitting bodice that flowed out slightly from her hips, complimenting her figure perfecting. The dress itself reached the floor, elegantly resting by Yang’s feet. A slit ran up the right side, revealing a toned leg and Blake found herself having to remind herself to breath. Yang’s defined arms and shoulders being on display certainly didn’t help matters, either. Yang’s makeup was elegantly done, accentuating her features rather than trying to perfect them and her hair was collected into a bun, with delicate curls framing her face.

“Oh. Oh, wow.” Blake breathed, her throat suddenly tight. For a moment, she genuinely thought that she was going to cry at just how _gorgeous_ Yang looked. 

“Um… Hi?” Yang laughed nervously, shifting her weight awkwardly as her cheeks flushed. “Hopefully I’m up to the standards of high society?” Blake felt her skip a beat as Yang’s lilac gaze trailed over her, her cheeks getting warm as an almost approving gleam entered her eyes. “You look… nice.”

“Nice?” Blake laughed anxiously, ducking her head to hide how she had to suddenly gasp for the air that Yang stole from her. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“No!” Yang yelped, sounding and looking horrified as Blake looked back up at her. She stepped forward, waving her hands as she desperately tried to come up with _something._ “Good! Great, even!” Yang floundered for a moment before sighing heavily and tucking her hair behind her eye in a manner that was uncharacteristically shy. “You look… so pretty.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Blake mumbled, her cheeks feeling like they were on fire. She smiled softly at Yang, stepping forward and running her gaze over her once more. “You look… exquisite.”

“Damn.” Yang chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. “That’s a first.” The two stood in an awkward silence before Yang pointed at Blake’s neck. “Did you want some help with that?”

“Please.”

Yang nodded with a small smile and stepped forward, gently grabbing Blake by her lapels and softly tugging her closer. With how close they were now, Blake couldn’t help but notice, not for the first time, how all of her features came slightly below Yang’s. When Blake lifted her head to meet Yang’s gaze, their nose brushed and she felt her breath hitch as Yang’s gaze dropped to her neck, focusing on the task at hand, She felt the pressure of Yang’s hands against her collar as her fingers worked, the smell of her shampoo hitting Blake’s nose. She instinctively rested her hands on Yang’s waist, her thumbs stroking against her friend’s sides softly. 

“So… yellow bow tie, huh?” Yang murmured softly, glancing up at Blake for a brief moment as she worked. 

“Yeah. I guess we ended up matching, huh?”

“You bought me this dress.”

“I must have had yellow on the brain.” Blake shrugged, internally panicking. Could she have been more _fucking obvious?!_ “It does happen to be my second favourite colour, you know.”

“And the first?”

‘Your eyes.’ She thought. But instead, she simply said, “Purple.”

“You know… you do look really good.” Yang said as she finished her work and ran her hands along Blake’s shoulders, smoothing out the fabric. Her hands came to a rest on Blake’s collar and she smiled playfully at Blake, who was beginning to wonder if she should invest in an oxygen tank if Yang was going to insist on taking her breath away every five seconds. “Let me know if I need to beat any jackasses up for you.”

“Trust me. It won’t be me that will be drawing attention.” Blake said automatically, her cheeks flushing as she processed her own words. Reluctantly, she stepped back from Yang and adjusted her jacket, feeling a small burst of pride when Yang watched the action with interest. “Um… we should get going. The sooner, we get there, the sooner I can get done with the formalities.” Blake sighed and bowed her head with an unhappy groan. “God, I hope there’s a bar. I’m going to need a stiff drink to get through tonight.”

“You're going to do great.” Yang said softly, holding out her arms for a hug that Blake eagerly accepted, tucking her head into the crook of Yang’s neck and just barely fighting back the impulse to mark the skin there with an affectionate kiss. “I’ll be right there with you, Blake.”

“I know you will.”

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Why, Miss Belladonna. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you’ve been avoiding me.”

“That’s because I have, Jacque-ass.” Blake hissed under her breath to Yang, smirking when Yang snorted into her champagne glass before speaking loudly to Jacque Schnee as he approached, a fake smile plastered onto his face as he greeted her. “Of _course not,_ Mr. Schnee. I’ve just been busy networking. Plenty of people want to speak to the figurehead of Belladonna Tech, after all.” Blake felt her own smile sharpen slightly as she placed her hand into Jacques and squeezed his hand with a little more force than necessary. “Oh! My bad. Did I say Belladonna? I meant Schnee.” Blake smiled innocently as Jaqcue’s expression tightened, his grip matching Blake’s own. But Blake had never been one to pale in the face of a challenge, as Yang so often liked to remind her. Instead, she made her own gripper tighter, quirking a brow and issuing a silent challenge to the older man, even as she felt Yang press a gentle hand to the small of her back in warning. “Congratulations, by the way, on finally attaching your name to something noble. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my date promised me a dance and I intend on taking advantage of that.” With that, Blake threw back her champagne, did the same to Yang’s and grabbed Yang’s hand to gently guide her to the ballroom floor.

“Holy shit.” Yang whispered with a laugh as Blake pulled Yang’s arm around her waist and rested one hand on her shoulder and brought their hands up in a simple, slow waltz as the music shifted to something slow and elegant. “I know you don’t want to get fired up and start a fight but goddamn, that was amazing. I think I saw steam coming out of his ears.” Yang chuckled softly as she pulled Blake closer to avoid another couple. Blake felt her breathing hitch violently as their noses brushed and she instinctively curled her arm around Yang’s neck. “I love it when you’re feisty.”

‘Shit.’ Blake mentally panicked. ‘She’s so close and dear God, is she flirting? Is she jsut being playful? Where the fuck is my gaydar when I need iy?!’

“Well, I’m sure that there’ll be more where that came from, considering that Jacques doesn't like being challenged.He’ll be back and he’ll try to dominate any and all conversations.” 

“But you won’t let him?”

“Hardly. Just… let me know if I look like I’m about to strangle that man with his own tie.” Blake grinned playfully at Yang. “Strangling rich assholes isn’t exactly the most proper behaviour, you see.”

“I see.” Yang chuckled before tilting her head at Blake with a small smirk. “You know… While we’re here, we might as well have some fun.” Blake let out a yelp of surprise as Yang dipped her. She looked up at her and felt her heart melt at the playful grin on Yang’s face. “Care to help me show these rich assholes how it’s done, Miss Belladonna?”

“Why, Miss Xiao Long,” Blake teased back, dropping the back of one hand to her forehead in a dramatic swoon. “You send my heart all aflutter. I accept your proposal.”

With that, the two women spent the remainder of their evening dancing and laughing, ignoring any looks of distaste that the elite sent them as they took turns twirling each other around the dance floor.

“Woah!” Yang gasped as Blake dipped her low, the slit in her dress shifting and revealing her leg, making Blake’s mouth run dry as she stared down at a breathless Yang. “God! You are way stronger than you look.” Yang laughed, Blake laughed with her, dropping her forehead to rest against Yang’s as she brought her back up. Yang draped her arms over Blake’s neck and smiled at her.With their foreheads pressed together and their noses brushing, the two swayed together, seemingly content to stay like that for a while.

“Yang?” Blake whispered as she pulled Yang closer, her heart feeling much too large for her chest.

“Yeah?”

“I-” Blake hesitated. There were so many things that she wanted to say. Words that would change their dynamic for good. “I just-” And her courage gave out. She let out a soft sight and pushed away from Yang. “Nothing. I’m just going to… I’m going to grab a drink.”

“Do you want-”

“No. No, it's okay. I can go. I’ll catch up with you.”

“Blake?”

Blake ignored Yang’s confused call and quickly disappeared into the crowd, frustrated tears burning at the corners of her eyes.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“A martini.”

Blake groaned as Jacques sat beside her at the bar. She really wasn’t in the mood.

“And where has your date disappeared off to? Perhaps she has found someone more of her… status to fraternise with.”

“Her status?” Blake said lowly, turning to glare at the man beside her, swirling her whisky sour in its glass. “And what do you mean by that?”

“She’s not like us, Miss Belladonna. She’s a reporter. She’s dirt.” Jacque grinned sharply, evidently delighted that he had found a way to get under Blake’s skin. “The chances that she’s merely using you are high, child. I am merely trying to watch out for you.”

“Don’t you _dare_ talk about Yang like that.” Blake hissed, venom dripping from her voice as she struggled to keep her cool. “She has more class, dignity and respect than everyone in this building puts together!”

“Oh come now, there’s no need to get snappy with me.” Jacque chuckled. “I am merely attempting to act as a… mentor. With your parents-”

“Don’t talk about my parents.” Blake warned, her voice shifting to a low growl. “I have gotten this far without a mentor. I brought their company back from the _goddamn grave,_ Jacque. I don’t need your “mentorship.” Yang was my biggest supporter all of these years.She’s the one that has seen it all. You have no right to talk about her like that!” Blake snorted and stood up, preparing to leave when Jacque spoke up again.

“Yes, yes. Go back to your little trophy.”

“You know what?” Blake smiled, sickly sweet as she picked up her whisky and gave the man before her dead eye contact. “Fuck propriety.” And with that, she threw her drink in his face and turned on her hill sharply, with one final comment being thrown over her shoulder as Jacque sputtered. “Now, you look like the filthy, drowned rat you are. Have a _lovely_ evening, Mr. Schnee.”

Blake made her way through the crowd, searching for Yang. She finally found her leaning on a balcony, watching over the city.

“I think we need to go.”

“I- wait. What?” Yang sniffed before wiping her eyes and turning to face her. Blake froze. Had Yang… been crying? Or trying not to? “Blake. What did you do?”

“Jacque was being a prick so I threw my whisky at him.” Blake grinned sheepishly. “He got under my skin.”

“How?”

“I… don’t like people talking trash about my best friend?”

“Oh my God.” Yang groaned. “This is why we can’t have nice things.” She said with a chuckle that was half exasperated, half fond. “Come on. Let's go home before you get us into any more trouble.”

The two made their way to the valet parking, carefully avoiding a very unhappy Jacque Schnee. AS they waited, Blake noticed that Yang was shivering against the cold. She sighed softly and removed her jack and stepped behind Yang to drape it over her shoulders.

“I told you to bring a jacket.” Blake murmured into Yang’s ear. She rested her hands on 

Yang’s biceps and felt her heart skip a beat when Yang leaned back into her hold. “You may be a space heater but you’re not invincible, Sunshine.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Yang muttered as she turned her head to butt Blakes own affectionately. “I think we both learned a lesson tonight. I need a jacket and nobody should leave you alone with Jacque Schnee unless they want a fight.”

Blake laughed softly, impulsively curling her arms around Yang’s waist and burying her face into her neck. Sometimes, She really didn’t know what she’d do without this girl.

When they returned home, both women tiredly collapsed onto their couch, the night’s events having completely drained them. Blake, however, felt her heart jump when Yang slumped against her, eyes closed and a tired grumble falling from her lips. Blake hesitantly curled an arm around Yang’s shoulders and bit back a gasp when Yang cuddled up to her sleepily, tucking her nose into Blake’s now exposed collar, now that Blake had loosened her tie and unbuttoned her shirt slightly.

“Yang?” Blake called softly. When her only answer was a deep exhale, she sighed heavily. She couldn’t just move her. Not when Yang was _this_ tired, so she carefully pulled the throw blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over them and pulled Yang closer. It was hard to ignore just how right it felt. “God. What am I going to do with you?” She murmured, as tears pricked her eyes, She buried her nose into Yang’s hair and gently kissed her head, making herself comfortable for the night. When she was convinced that Yang was asleep, she finally voiced the words that she wished that she had the courage to say when Yang was awake before she allowed herself to fall asleep, cradling Yang close to her.

  
  


“I love you, Yang. So fucking much.”


	23. Wage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang wakes up to... an interesting sleeping arrangement the morning after the ball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 23 - Wage

When Yang woke up the morning after the ball, the first thing she noticed was that she was still in her dress. The second was that there was a blanket thrown over her. And the third was that her pillow was breathing beneath her head.

‘Wait,’ Yang thought to herself as she subconsciously nuzzled against her pillow. ‘Pillows don’t breathe…’

When Yang lifted her head, she let out a gasp. Her pillow wasn’t a pillow at all. She had been sleeping on Blake’s chest, nuzzling against her skin where the top buttons had been undone. Yang’s arms were wrapped around Blake’s waist and Blake’s own were curled almost protectively around her, keeping her close. Yang’s heart raced as Blake sleepily blinked open her amber eyes and smiled lazily at Yang, drowsily leaning forward to butt her forehead against her own affectionately.

‘This is new!’ Yang thought to herself, mildly panicked as Blake tightened her hold, evidently still not entirely awake. ‘What is happening?! Why is it happening?!’

“Blake?” Yang whispered cautiously, gently pulling away. Blake let out a small whine that shifted into a jaw cracking yawn, removing her arms from Yang stretching, giving her a chance to scoot back. “Are… you okay?”

“Remind me to never sleep on the couch again.” Blake grumbled, her voice low and raspy from sleep. It was far more attractive than it had any right to be. “My back is killing me.”

“I’m sorry.” Yang said tensely, unsure of what to do or say. They had fallen asleep on each other many times before… but this felt different somehow. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

“I didn’t mind.” Blake smiled softly at her and it took everything that Yang had not to lean over and kiss her. 

As the two sat in silence, each stuck with her own thoughts, the sleepy fog finally lifted from Yang’s brain as the memories of the night prior came back to her. Blake taking Jacque Schnee down multiple pegs, dancing with Blake, Blake hightailing it out of there, trying not to let tears of frustration fall until Blake came to get her and go home because she threw her whisky at Jacque’s face, Blake giving her her jacket and finally coming home and slumping against Blake, who had always had such a grounding presence to her, never failing to make Yang feel secure and steady and safe. But one more memory came to mind… one of Blake pulling her close as she slowly, ever so slowly, dozed off. She recalled how Blake had asked her what she was going to do with her as she pulled the blanket around them both and how, just before sleep claimed her, Blake had buried her face into her hair, murmuring something quietly.

_“I love you, Yang. So fucking much.”_

Yang jumped as fingers gently tucked her blonde hair behind her ear and she looked over at Blake who was watching her quietly, almost seeming to be unaware of her own movements. Yang felt her heart rate speed up as Blake’s fingers traced behind her ear and down her jaw, her thumb caressing Yang’s cheek in a manner that Yang could only describe as loving. Blake’s amber eyes glowed with a new type of affection, or perhaps it had always been there and Yang had just been too blind to see it. Perhaps they had both been to blind to see what was right in front of them this whole time.

“Oh my God.” Yang breathed, as the fingers on her jaw froze. She stared at Blake, not quite being able to believe it but still unable to refute all of the facts that lined up. “Blake… you _love_ me.”

“Of course! You’re my best friend!” Blake said quickly, snapping her hand away. Her ears were pressed against her head and her breathing was a little faster as her eyes darted around in panic. 

“You _know_ that’s not what I mean, Blake.” Yang said shakily, her heart breaking as Blake’s eyes welled up with tears before she closed them and dropped her head. 

“I know.” Blake said, her voice sounding like she was on the verge of crying. “I’m sorry. I know that you don’t- don’t feel the same way and I’ve tried to move on but… God.” Blake threw her head back with a laugh that was full of more self-loathing than Yang had heard in years. “I guess I’m just the poster child for bisexual disaster, huh? Falling for my best friend and roommate? Talk about being a fucking sterotype.” Blake sniffed, turning away from Yang, her voice small and terrified. “I- I understand if- if you don’t feel comfortable being friends. I-” Blake’s voice broke, as though the mere idea of not having Yang in her life was more painful than she could bear. 

Yang scooted closer, her chest twisting violently at the way Blake flinched. She gently cupped her friend’s jaw and guided her head to meet her gaze. When their eyes met, Yang felt like somebody had shot her in her chest. The tears that gathered in Blake’s eyes tore through Yang in a way that she didn’t even think was possible. She couldn’t let Blake go on like this so she slowly leaned forward and captured Blake’s lips with her own, muffling the startled gasp that Blake let out. It took a moment for Blake to respond, for the shock to wear off, but when she did, Yang smiled against her lips. The kiss was soft and gentle, as Yang ran her thumb along Blake’s cheek. Blake’s hands made their way to Yang’s collar, resting there comfortably, stroking her skin sweetly. 

“I love you too, Blake.” Yang whispered as she pulled back, the salt of Blake’s tears still on her lips. She wiped Blake’s tears away, moving to rest her forehead against Blake’s own, gazing at her adoringly. “I guess you’re not the only hopeless gay sterotype here, huh?”

Blake let out a sound that was half laugh and half sob before she threw herself into Yang’s arms, burying her face into her neck and letting the tears fall. Yang lowered her head to Blake’s shoulder and smiled against it, even as her own tears fell. 

“I love you.” Blake whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “God, I love you.”

“I love you too.” Yang mumbled, turning her head to kiss Blake’s jaw lingeringly. “It’s a problem, actually. I’m a little obsessed.” As Blake let out a watery giggle, Yang felt a smile split her face in two. “Does this mean that last night counts as a date?”

“No.” Blake mumbled, though Yang could feel a smile press into her neck. “I guess this means that I have to actually take you out sometime.”

“Wait.” Yang pulled away to playfully glare at Blake, delighting in the small smirk that shined through her tears. “Why are you taking me out? Why can’t I take you out?”

“Because reasons.”

“Reasons is not a reason, Blake!” Yang laughed, ducking forward to kiss Blake’s nose. “You’re such a little shit.”

“You love me.”

“Yeah. I do.” 

The two women gazed softly at each other, leaning forward for another kiss before an alarm from Blake’s scroll went off and they pulled back to stare at it.

“Isn’t that-”

“My warning alarm? Yes.” Blake said simply, leaning towards Yang again before her eyes snapped open and she scrambled to her feet in a panic. “Fuck! That’s my warning alarm! If I don’t get ready right now, I’m going to be so fucking late! Shit!”

Yang couldn’t help it. She fell back against the couch, helpless giggles falling from her lips as Blake tore through their house in a state of panic. 

“Fucking fuck shit! Cinder is going to have my head for this. I hope you’re happy!”

“How is this my fault?!”

“Because you’re too gorgeous of a distraction, that’s how!”

Yang’s jaw dropped at the utterly shameless flirt and watched as Blake flew from her room in a frazzle, hair pulled up into a messy bun, her button down shirt was creased and she was hopping on one foot as she tried to get a heel on. She was a complete and utter mess…

And she was beautiful.

“I need to go but we’ll talk about this tonight?”

“Absolutely!”

Blake grinned, nerves and joy combined, as she darted over to Yang, grabbed her jaw, kissed her firmly and ran for the door while muttering obscenities about Cinder under her breath. Yang waited until she heard Blake’s car pull away until she fell to the couch with an ecstatic yell.

“Blake Bella-fucking-donna loves me!”

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

But sometimes, good things are ripped away too soon. As the adrenaline wore off, both women began to wonder why the kiss felt so familiar. Was it because of the love they shared? Was it something deeper?

But as they thought about it, both of their minds returned to that night on the museum roof, when Black Poison and Dragon had kissed… and slowly, all of the puzzle pieces that they had been missing fell into play.

“Holy fuck! It’s her!” was the simultaneous thought that day. 

And both women knew that they would be distracted until they could talk once more.

So distracted, that Blake didn’t even notice the tall figure sneak behind her until something struck her head. 

The last thing that she saw… was a sick smile and a cruel pair of horns framed by blood red hair, coming to wage war on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry! Put the torches and pitchforks down!


	24. Elbow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Blake comes fave to face with the man from her nightmares, when she’s terrified; will she submit?
> 
> Or will she fight back?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 24 - Elbow
> 
> Trigger warnings -
> 
> There are heavy themes of abuse, such as manipulation and gaslighting in this chapter. 
> 
> There is also graphic depiction of injury.
> 
> If you’re sensitive to these topics, please proceed with caution. If you feel that this may be triggering for you, please take care of yourselves first. Your safety and well-being is far more important than this story.
> 
> Author’s note:  
> This is probably the hardest chapter that I have had to write. I felt extremely anxious the entire time and I still haven’t calmed down. 
> 
> I can truly say that writing Adam is an uncomfortable experience for me.

“Fuck.” Blake groaned as she came to. She winced in pain as her head started to pound, her ears pinning back against her head as she tried to move, only to discover that she had been bound to a metal chair. “No!” She hissed, her heart starting to race as she tugged at the ropes around her wrists. She glanced around to see that she was in her warehouse. She could see the locker where she kept her weapons to her left and to her right, were the stacks of crates that she and Dragon used for ambush training. Though, she supposed, it was probably better to call her Yang, wasn’t it? She felt her heart twist painfully, a sense of betrayal threatening to consume her. But she knew Yang. She  _ trusted _ her. She had finally seen and felt the unfiltered adoration that Yang harboured for her. There  _ had  _ to be reason why she was cuddling up to Cinder fucking Fall… right?

“Did you have a nice nap, my darling?” 

Blake inhaled sharply, and slowly looked to the front of her and saw a tall man with red hair and bull horns staring at behind a bull shaped mask. He stood behind a steel barrel that flames jumped out of, almost seeming to warm his hands casually.

“About as good as it gets when there’s a monster attacking my town.” Blake said,hoping that her voice didn’t sound as shaky as she felt. “Maybe you’ve seen him? Black clothes, red hair, horns? Wears a mask because he’s too much a coward to put a face to his mutilations?”

“You always _ did _ have an attitude problem.”

“My attitude is what makes me special.” Blake said blankly. Control. That’s what Adam wanted. If she allowed her fear and anger to consume her, then he will have already won. Smirk, smile and banter with him. Don’t let him get under her skin. “So… how have you been since I dumped your ass?”

“Have you forgotten who I am, my love?” Adam said softly as he strolled towards her and bent down to stare at her through his mask. “What I’m capable of?”

“You mean a bad 90’s villain?” Blake deadpanned, quirking a brow at the twitch in Adam’s jaw. She inhaled deeply, trying to keep her fear in check. Don’t let him get to her. Don’t let him see how terrified she was. Breath in, breath out and talk. Keep him talking. Keep him busy and distracted until a plan could be formed. “I’m not that same scared little girl anymore Adam. I’ve grown. But it seems like you’ve stagnated.” Blake tilted her head, examining him critically, despite the terror residing in her chest. “Have you considered therapy?”

Adam chuckled as he moved to kneel in front of Blake, a sick smile on his face that made Blake feel ill. Still, she fought to maintain her composure. Don’t let him get into her head.

“Oh, Blake. You wound me. But that’s nothing new, is it? You’ve always had a tendency to hurt people, even when you claim to love them.”

“I never loved you.” Blake spat, fury coloring her words. “What we had  _ wasn’t  _ love. You took advantage of a grieving, traumatised teenaged girl and tried to turn her into a monster like you.” Blake stared down at him, her lips curled into a furious snarl. “You don’t get to call yourself any love of mine, let alone the first!”

“Oh… does that honour belong to your little girlfriend?” Adam grinned up at her as she paled, her breath catching in her throat. “Your pretty little reporter… Yang, is it?”

“No…”

“Or perhaps…” Adam murmured tilting his head and smiling cruelly at her. “I should call her Dragon?”

“You leave her out of this!”

“Oh, there it is. There’s that terrified little rabbit expression that I remember so well.” Adam smirked. “How long did it take you imbeciles to figure it out, my love? Two years? All it took me was two weeks.” Adam reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, making her recoil in disgust. “My poor love, as stupid as you ever were.”

“And yet, I helped design your weapon, mother fucker.” Blake snarled, panic starting to rise as Adam laughed and turned back to the fire. She felt her ears perk up as a part of the metal back that her wrists were tied to shift slight. She couldn’t move it by any force of her own… but if something were to cause a heavy impact, it might snap and create a sharp edge that she could use to cut the rope. Fortunately, she knew just what to do. 

Adam had always had a foul temper, after all.

“But hey, that’s what happens when you work with a two-bit punk.” Blake said, sitting back and smirking. If she remembered correctly, he tended to use his right hand to strike out in fits of rage. Adam slowly turned towards her, his jaw beginning to twitch. Blake bit back her panic and tilted her head at him. “I must say… working with Dragon has been a real treat. She’s strong. Powerful. And might add that she actually has stamina?” Blake forced her grin to become cold and sharp as Adam walked towards her slowly, his body tense.

‘Come on. We both know that you want to. Put me in my place so that I cut these ropes and finally put you in yours.’

“I suggest you behave yourself.”

Blake swallowed thickly. She hated this. She  _ didn’t  _ want him to touch her. Didn’t want him near her. But desperate times…

She spat in his face and smirked at him. 

As she predicted, he sent the back of his right hand into the side of her face, sending both her and the chair to the ground. She felt the metal snap and bit back a sob of relief. She might actually stand a chance now.

“You know… I think you need a little reminder of who, no. Of  _ what  _ you are.” Adam growled as he picked up her chair and walked back over to the fire. Blake quickly snagged her rope under the broken metal and began to cut away at the rope, keeping her movement slow and subtle. “You are property. You are mine.” As Adam talked, Blake kept sawing away at her rope. Let the bastard monologue. See where it gets him. “Did you know that cattle are often branded? To mark them as a farmer’s property?” 

Blake felt the rope snap as Adam turned around, pulling a long metal pole from the fire. Her blood ran cold at the sight of the white hot bull skull symbol at the end of it, complete with a rose imprinted into its forehead. It was Adam’s symbol. 

“This is called a branding iron.” Adam said, smiling at Blake in a manner that made her feel nauseous. “And I think that it's time to mark my property as mine.”

Blake felt her breathing quicken as Adam lifted her shirt and pointed the branding iron at her left hip.

‘Move!’ She mentally screamed at herself, throwing herself to the left. She cried out as the edge of the iron dug into her skin, the smell of burning flesh hitting her nose as it left a line of burnt skin behind. She landed on her knees and, despite the pain searing into her hip, scrambled to very shaky feet, grabbed the chair and hurled it at Adam’s head, sending him and the iron to the floor. She bolted to her locker. She wouldn’t have time to get her glove and ribbon, but she could get her swords. 

“Blake!”

Blake fumbled with her locker and just as Adam swung the iron at her, she grabbed one of the swords and blocked his striked, knocking her glove and ribbon to the floor. She rotated her blade, twisting his wrist and flinging the iron from his grasp. 

“Adam!” She snarled, breathing heavily through her pain as Adam jumped back, his hand going to the sword that he kept at his left hip. “Stand down! I never wanted this!”

“What you want doesn’t matter!” Adam growled, pointing his blade at her. “I will make you suffer for your betrayal. But do feel free to run.”

Blake bit back a fearful whimper and angled her burning hip away protectively. 

“Sorry.” Blake said shakily, stepping into a defensive stance. “But I’m not running.”

“You will.”

The two clashed, grunting and snarling as Adam struck and Blake parried and blocked. She had to be careful. If she let him absorb the energy of an attack, he wouldn’t hesitate to use it. He relied on it. If you could just tire him out, wear him down, then she might be able to land a devastating blow. 

“You left me!”

“And why do you think that is?!” Blake growled as she ducked under his sword, grunting in pain as the burnt skin on her hip stretched and pulled. “You became a murderer! We were supposed to be better than that! You promised me that we would be better than that.” Blake hissed as she blocked another strike and stared into his mask defiantly. “ _ You _ betrayed  _ me. _ ”

Adam snarled and swung again, driving Blake back several steps to her locker. She could feel her body start to shake. She didn’t know how much longer she could fight. But she had to stay strong. For Vale. For Yang. For herself. 

It felt like hours had gone by when she thought she saw an opening for what she thought would be the final blow… but then, Adam kicked out at her hip, making her let out a blood curdling scream of pain as the hilt of her blade collided with Adam’s face. She gasped as blood red runes lit up his free hand. With a thrust of his hand, a slab of earth flew towards Blake, sending her crashing to the floor. As she climbed to all fours, gasping for breath, pain flooding her body as she crawled towards her blade, she heard Adam’s boots hit the ground as he walked towards her. Moments later, a heavy boot landed on her back and forced her to the ground as she cried out in pain. 

“Oh, my love.” Adam crooned as his boot lifted from her back only to reappear on her elbow, pinning it in place. He bent down and gripped her wrist tightly, as Blake began to hyperventilate, already knowing what he was about to do. “Why must you hurt me?”

And with that, Adam jerked her elbow back, the sickening sound of bones breaking drowned out by two different screams. One was Blake’s, and the other…

“Get away from her!”

Blake watched helplessly as Adam picked up Blake’s blade and used it to stab Yang in her shoulder as she charged blindly as him. He knocked her her to the floor where she laid, clutching her bleeding wound before Adam stepped on it. Blake could see her start to pale and knew that, despite her own pain, she had to act fast. 

Somehow, by the grace of whoever was watching over them, she managed to painfully drag herself over to her glove and ribbon. She used her teeth to tug it onto her undamaged hand and activated it. Quietly, she sent it towards Adam and, just as he started to taunt Yang, she wrapped it around his legs and sent him up into the rafters, tying him up tightly.

“Blake!”

Blake ignored his screams of rage. The ribbon wouldn’t hold him for long so she had to move fast. She stood and moved to Yang, lifting her into her good arm, whimpering as her broken arm hung limply at her side.

“Blake.” Yang gasped, trying to help support her own weight, despite how weak she was getting from blood loss.

“No time. We need to move.” Blake panted, half dragging, half carrying a semi-conscious Yang out of the warehouse and onto the Main Street where they collapsed, earning stares and screams alike from passers by. She weakly curled her hand around her elbow, trying to keep it stable as she looked at Yang, tears filling her eyes as her vision began to swim, a darkness creeping in at the corners as her own pain threatened to overwhelm her.

“I’m sorry.” She sobbed, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead to Yang’s shoulder. She could hear people rushing over to help as her own consciousness began to waver. “I’m so sorry!”

And the world went black.


	25. Modest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months after MinoTaur’s attack on Blake and Yang, we see how our favourite reporter is doing after her injury has healed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 25 - Modest
> 
> Gonna be real here... I feel like this is one of my weaker chapters. But hopefully, y’all can still take some enjoyment of it 😊

“Damn it!”

Months later, Yang snarled to herself as she went through her rehabilitation exercises for her shoulder. While she had been lucky enough that the sword hadn’t as much damage as it could have, she had still suffered a great deal of damage to her shoulder, leaving her with limited strength. Even now, when the wound had healed, it still hurt. Especially on cold days like today.

“Yang… perhaps you should take a break for today.”

Yang glanced up at Weiss, who had followed her into the break room and was watching her with a worried expression. “If your arm is giving you problems-“

“I’m fine!” Yang snapped, ducking her head as her shoulder throbbed painfully. “It’s just a bad day. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay… if you’re fine, then you’ll be taking the Belladonna Report that Velvet gave you? Since you know Blake so well?”

“Knew!” Yang corrected sharply, her knee starting to bounce anxiously. “I  _ knew  _ her so well. But I guess I was wrong.”

“Why? Because she left?” Weiss asked gently as she sat beside Yang on the couch and crossed her legs daintily. 

“No, because she’s actually Dragon.” Yang said sarcastically, snorting as she rolled her eyes. “Yes, because she left! Without another word! After eight years, Weiss!”

“Maybe she just needed to heal.”

“And so did I!” Yang’s voice broke, as she hung her head, her hair covering her face. “We could have healed together! Supported each other, just like we always did. I could have been there for her! She could have been there for me.” Yang dropped her voice to a low mutter, terrified of all of the heartache she had experienced this past month breaking free of the walls she had built since MiniTaur’s attack. 

“I can’t tell you why, Yang. Maybe she was scared. Maybe this was something she needed to work through on her own.” Weiss said, in a tone far more softer than Yang was used to hearing from her. “Maybe there’s more to her leaving than you think.”

“But she didn’t even talk to me.”

“I know it hurts. But can you really look me in the eyes and tell me that she never cared about you? That she didn’t adore you?” Weiss smiled when Yang glanced up at her, an amused glint in her eyes. “She nearly ripped my head off because we were nose to nose, remember?”

Yang wanted to argue, she really did. But she had heard the love in Blake’s voice the morning of the attack, she had  _ felt _ the complete and utter adoration that Blake harboured for her. She had seen the devotion in Blake’s eyes as amber stared into lilac. She  _ couldn’t _ deny that Blake cared. 

But that didn’t stop Blake from leaving. It didn’t stop her from blocking all of her contacts. It didn’t stop her from covering all of her tracks, leaving Yang without a trace to lead her. 

And it most certainly didn’t stop her from breaking Yang’s heart, however unintentional it may have been.

“No, but can I even do?” Yang whispered, her voice shaking as she tried to blink back tears. “I  _ loved  _ her. I  _ still do _ love her. What can- how do I move on?”

“I don’t know. But I’ve seen how Blake looks at you and I know how you feel about her. Something tells me that Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long aren’t destined to end here.” Weiss said, an almost knowing smile on her face. “When you find your way into each other’s lives again, don’t let your fear and hurt control you. That’s all I can I suggest.”

“You mean  _ if _ we find our way back into each other’s lives.”

“Don’t tell me what I mean.” Weiss said shortly, playfully smacking Yang’s left shoulder. Yang blinked at the glint in Weiss’s eyes. She had seen it many times before, usually when she was scheming to get a particularly difficult interview. What was she planning? “I know what I said.”

Yang watched as Weiss stood up and walked to the door, pausing to look over her shoulder and gave Yang a soft, modest smile.

“Oh, and Yang? If anybody calls you tonight, please do pick up. I found something that might be right up your alley.”

Yang watched Weiss leave, confusion filling her as she shook her head.

“What the fuck was that about?”

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Later that night, Yang turned her tv off with an angry grunt. Ever since MinoTaur’s attack, the crime rate had gone up. There were regular robberies, assaults and mutilations occurring in all parts of town. People were too scared to leave their homes and the police could only handle so much with this rise in crime.

And Dragon was nowhere to be found.

Yang hated to admit it but her right arm was substantially weaker after her injury. She had spent months healing and rehabilitating. And now, she was trying to figure out a way to compensate for her new weakness… but it was proving to be difficult. 

“What the fuck am I meant to do?” Yang wondered out loud to the empty house, as she walked through it. It was colder now, without Blake’s presence. Everything felt dull and diluted. To say the least, she couldn’t even go near Blake’s room without having to fight back a fresh wave of heartache. And yet, she still found herself seeking it out in times of distress. Maybe it was because Blake’s presence lingered there. Maybe it was the way her scent, a mix of her perfume and shampoo, could still be found in her bed, that drew Yang in. As always, Yang found herself soon curled up in Blake’s bed, a part of her desperately seeking out the comfort that she sought from the woman who had ensnared her heart and soul long ago. “I don’t  _ want  _ to give up… but what can I do?”

She had come a long way in her healing, she knew that. But she felt like she had hit a brick wall. Where could she go from here? It wasn’t like there was any sort of physio for heroes that had been maimed, after all. There had to be next step that she could take. Somewhere she could go. Something she could do. After all of the months that she had spent, jumping at every shadow that moved, she  _ just wanted to move forward. _

Almost as if on cue, her scroll rang.

“Hello?” Yang answered it questioningly, rolling onto her back with Blake’s pillow hugged tightly to her chest. 

“Yang Xiao Long?”

“Yeah. That’s me.” Yang said as she sat up and dropped the pillow to her lap. “Who are you?”

“Uh… Oh! Yeah! Duh!” She head a light thwack as though somebody had just smacked their face. She quirked a tired brow. What one earth? “My name’s Sun! Sun Wukong! I’m-“

“Blake’s receptionist.” Yang said shakily, her left hand trembling slightly as she inhaled sharply. “I know who you are. What I want to know is why you’re calling me.”

“Listen, dude… Blake is totally going to kill me for this… but I can’t keep watching her slowly destroy herself. You need to get your ass to Schnee Tech ASAP.”

“Belladonna Tech.” Yang corrected automatically before her brow twisted in concern. “Wait… Blake’s been at the company? For how long? And what do you mean “slowly destroy herself?” What's going on?”

“... you’re not gonna like it.”

“Tell me anyway.”

And as Sun talked, Yang felt her chest constrict painfully, a new found fear and pain entering her as he told her why he had called.

Maybe it wasn’t the first step she had been hoping for… but maybe it was the first step that she and Blake both needed.


	26. Carbon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months after her ordeal with Adam, when she’s thrown herself into her work, Blake finds herself with an unexpected visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 26 - Carbon

“Maybe I could use carbon fibre for my suit.” Blake mumbled to herself, her hair falling haphazardly from its ponytail. Her clothes hadn’t been changed in over a week, sleep was pretty much nonexistent and she couldn’t even remember the last time that she had a full meal. But she couldn’t stop now. She  _ had _ to get Project: Aura up and running, along with suit modifications to her Black Poison gear… and Yang’s Dragon gear, if she still wanted anything to do with Blake, that is. “I mean, it does have some advantages.” She said as she moved the schematics and loose papers around her desk, hissing as her elbow ached. The bones may have healed over the months since her injury but on cold days, it still ached. “Let’s see… high stiffness, high tensile strength, low-“

Blake cut herself off with a gasp and quickly gripped her desk and closed her eyes tightly as her vision swam. Her body trembled as the months of refusing to slow down caught up to her. But she couldn’t stop now. She just couldn’t. Not even when she could hear Yang’s voice in her head, berating her for not taking care of herself.

“I don’t have the luxury of slowing down.”

“I thought I told you; it’s not a luxury. It’s a necessity.”

Blake’s eyes snapped open and she stared down at the desk, her arms braced and trembling as her breathing got faster. She knew that voice. She didn’t even have to look up to know who it belonged to. It was the voice of the woman who had started out as a stranger, who slowly wormed her way into Blake’s life, filling the cracks in Blake’s heart and soul with gold. Who became her best friend and roommate. Who showed her what love was meant to be. The woman that Blake adored with every fibre of her being. 

“I told you that she wasn’t okay, dude.”

Blake’s eyes snapped up and she locked onto Sun, who stood behind Yang, angrily, her lips lifting in a silent snarl as she glared daggers into the man as he raised his hands and backed out of the room with a nervous laugh and shut the door.

“Sun!” Blake growled, her cat ears pinning before her eyes found themselves drawn to Yang. Her gaze washed over Yang, her expression softening as she took her in. Yang’s body language was stiff and her face stern, but for all that she had gone through, she looked well… despite the pain in her eyes that mirrored Blake’s own. “Yang.” Blake breathed out,, her voice trembling. 

“God, Blake.” Yang said, her voice thick as she slowly walked over to where Blake stood shaking. “What have you been doing to yourself?”

“Working.” Blake said tensely dropping her gaze in shame, refusing to look at Yang. Not after what she had down to her. “I can’t let Adam-“

“And so… what? You’re gonna destroy yourself before he even gets to look at you again?” Yang said sharply, crossing her arms as she came to Blake’s side and stared at her, expression unreadable. “You won’t be able to stop him if you do this to yourself. You can barely even  _ stand _ , Blake. How can you  _ think _ that you even stand a chance against him right now?”

“He came to this town because of me.” Blake whispered, recoiling at the hard tone. “I have to make things right.”

“He came to this town because he’s a monster that couldn’t let you go. That wasn’t on you.  _ None of this is on you. _ ”

Blake instinctively flinched when Yang lifted her hand, something that Blake hadn’t done in years. But with Adam’s attack, old habits had come flooding back.

“I- shit.” Yang mumbled to herself under her breath before Blake heard her inhale deeply. Then, she felt a finger tenderly brush her hair behind her ear, the movement slow and predictable, as Yang spoke up again. “I’m not going to hurt you. I would  _ never  _ hurt you.”

“Even when I deserve it?”

“Blake. Look at me.” Blake swallowed thickly and turned her head to look at Yang, who now wore a much softer expression. Yang’s hand moved to cup her jaw and Blake gasped at the gentle touch as Yang’s thumb caressed her cheek. “You  _ do not _ deserve to get hurt. Okay? You- nothing could change that.”

“But- you should  _ hate _ me.” Blake whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. “I- you got hurt because of me. I left when you needed me. I-“

“Shh.” Yang hushed her gently, as Blake let out a soft whimper and desperately leaned into Yang’s palm. “We’ve both suffered. You’re a victim, too. You don’t need to- to  _ punish  _ yourself like this. You deserve better than this.”

“But somebody has to stop-“

“And we will. But if we destroy ourselves in the process, what good are we?” Yang said softly, her own lilac eyes brimming with tears. “I didn’t know where you were or if you were okay. I didn’t know why you left… but you were here, this whole time. Slowly  _ killing yourself _ and- Blake. Please. I’m not asking you to stop. But for the love of God, slow down. If not for you…” Yang paused, seeming to hesitate for a long moment before pressing her forehead to Blake’s and speaking quietly. “Do it for the people you care about.”

“I don’t-“ Blake choked out, closing her eyes as she savoured the feeling of Yang’s skin against hers. God, she had missed this woman like a drowning man misses oxygen. “I don’t know what to do or where to go-“

“Come home.” Yang said softly, nervously. 

“What?” Blake’s snapped open and she stared at Yang in shock. “Home? You… you still want me there?”

“Blake.” Yang breathed out through a barely audible sob. “Of course, I do. Come home to me, baby. Please.”

“I-“ Blake cut herself off with a small sob, tears falling down her cheeks faster than Yang could wipe them away. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll come home.”

Without another word, Yang pulled back and opened up her arms, just as she used to. Blake let out another, gut wrenching sob before stepping into her arms and burying her face into Yang’s neck, desperately inhaling her, needing to be close to her. Yang, in turn, held her tightly and burrowed her face into Blake’s shoulder, clinging to her with the same desperation that Blake cling to her, heartbreaking sobs leaving them both as the months of pain and heartbreak caught up to them both, bringing them both to the floor, where they sat, holding each other and crying until their tears ran out.

And when the tears had stopped and it was time to go home? When Blake’s legs shook, weak from weeks of not taking care of herself as properly as she should? Yang scooped her up easily into her arms, where Blake rested her head in the crook of her neck tiredly, and carried her home. 


	27. Nest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, we watch our beloved engineer and reporter duo slowly get used to each other’s company once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 27 - Nest

The following morning, Blake woke her from nest of blankets with a panicked start, sitting and glancing around her as her heart raced. It took several moments before she remembered the events of the night previous.

“Yang.” Blake whispered softly to herself, still unable to believe that Yang had not only come to drag her out of her dangerous state of overworking herself but also asked her to come back home. 

It was honestly a little overwhelming for Blake.

When they had arrived home, Yang had made Blake something to eat while she shooed her to her bathroom, gently encouraging her to wash up and change into comfortable clothes before joining her. Dinner had been an awkward affair as the two struggled to get used to being in each other’s company. Blake knew that, if Yang hadn’t changed her mind about wanting Blake back, it might take some time for them both to heal from the months spent apart.

“And whose fault is that, Blake?” Blake mumbled to herself, as she crawled out of bed and moved to her door. “You’re the one that left her so you don’t get to feel sad about this.”

Blake slowly made her way to the living room and paused at the sight of Yang on the couch, sitting and watching the morning news. Her arm was draped over the back of the couch and she was wearing a simple pair of sweatpants with a tank top, her hair thrown into a messy bun… and she was every bit as beautiful as the day Blake had left her behind.

“You know… you don’t have to be shy.” Yang said softly, without turning her head. “You can come sit. This  _ is  _ your house too, after all.”

Blake jumped, a flush soon developing over her cheeks. How long had she been staring?

“Right.” She said nervously, as she made her way over to Yang and sat on the other side of the couch, absentmindedly grabbing a couch cushion and hugging it to her chest. It was taking all of her willpower not to scoot over and press herself into Yang’s side. But the last thing that she wanted to do was take up any space that Yang wasn’t willing to give.

“So…” Yang started awkwardly before turning to Blake and smiling at her, sounding almost as nervous as Blake felt. “How did you sleep?”

“Pretty well. Apparently, one’s own bed makes for more comfortable sleeping arrangements than one’s desk.” Blake said, her ears flicking irritably for a moment. “I… don’t know whether to kill Sun or give him a raise.”

“The man’s just looking out for you… because apparently, you’re still too stubborn to do it yourself.” Yang’s expression shifted, becoming more worried as she ran her gaze over Blake, pain clouding her eyes. “I mean… when was the last time you even had a full meal?”

“I’ve eaten.”

“Not what I asked.”

“I-“ Blake sighed and looked down at the top of her cushion and frowned. “I… actually can’t remember.” She said quietly, her brow creasing as she tried to recall. Her brain felt foggy and her body felt incredibly weak so she knew that it been a while but she had been so focused on her work that all thoughts of self-preservation had flown out of the window.

“...Then, we’re gonna have to feed you up a bit. Because baby? You’re not fighting  _ anyone  _ in this condition.”

Blake’s ears snapped to attention before flicking towards Yang, her cheeks flushing at the new endearment. She couldn’t deny that she liked it.

“Blake?” Yang asked softly, hesitantly, waiting for Blake to meet her eyes before continuing nervously. “Can I, like- I mean is it okay if I…”

“Yang?” Blake asked, tilting her head in confusion. “What is it?”

“Can I hold you?”

Blake’s amber eyes widened in surprise and she stared into Yang’s lilac gaze and, beneath the hurt and anxiety, saw the same love and adoration that she had felt that fateful morning before it all went wrong. She swallowed thickly and nodded. Yang smiled, her gaze softening as Blake put her cushion down and scooted over to her and curled up into her side, angling herself so that her head could rest under Yang’s chin comfortably. She heard Yang exhale shakily before curling her arms around her. She felt her breathing hitch when Yang pressed an almost shy kiss to the top of her head before resting her chin between Blake’s ears. Yang’s hand moved apprehensively along Blake’s bicep, as Blake hesitantly placed her hand on Yang’s abdomen. Both women were unsure of themselves, not quite knowing where they stood. But with Blake back home and in a position to heal and recover properly, they could find out as they both prepared themselves for their next encounter with Adam Taurus.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“I still think that MinoTaur is a bitch ass name.”

Blake snorted, as she watched Yang over their dinner table. It had taken a couple of days to explain everything to Yang but now that she had… well… Yang had very strong opinions.

“Like, the guy has to capitalise both Mino and Taur? Like… hello, arrogance. Nice to meet you.” Yang grumbled as she irritably ate her spaghetti. “And it’s not even that creative! It’s literally just a re-imagining of his actual name! Adam means man, Taurus means bull. Minotaur means man-bull. How uncreative can you get?! At least Dragon sounds intimidating and actually has something to do with what I do. And Black Poison stems from your early days when you used knock out gas! You didn’t even choose your name! You just went with it!” Yang looked up at Blake and Blake could tell from the pleased gleam in her eye that she was pleased about amusing Blake. “MinoTaur? More like Mini-Taur because  _ somebody’s _ overcompensating.”

“Yang!” Blake snickered. She 

_ probably shouldn’t  _ be laughing at that but, with all of the tension between them as of late as they got used to each other once more, Blake couldn’t help but be delighted to hear Yang making her old, snarky commentary. “That’s terrible.”

“Don’t you mean  _ terri-bull? _ ” 

Blake shook her head and chuckled softly. Only Yang could make her laugh at a time like this. 

“God, I missed making you laugh.” Yang said suddenly, making Blake glance up at her. Her expression was soft and gentle as she reached out for Blake’s hand and held it, running her thumb across the back of her knuckles. “I… I missed  _ you. _ ”

“I missed you too.” Blake said quietly, staring down at their hands before looking up at Yang. “More than you know.”

Yang’s expression shifted to something far more tender as she gently lifted Blake’s hand and placed a soft kiss against the back of it, making Blake’s breath hitch slightly. There was so much more that they both wanted to say and do… but neither of them were ready for that yet. 

But as Yang day there with that look in her eyes, Blake began to feel like a missing chunk of her soul had come home and she dared to hope that their story would have a happy ending. 


	28. Dedicate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the girls heal, rebuilding their strength and finding themselves and each other, there remains one thing that’s been bothering our engineer for a while...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 28 - Dedicate

Yang frowned when Blake pulled away from her embrace, concern flooding her when Blake stared at their t.v, a look of utter contempt on her face.

_ “And so, Project: Aura will give our defence forces an advantage over other-“ _

“How can you stand her?” Blake asked quietly, crossing her arms and looking away from Yang, her ears pinning. 

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I’ve seen every single news report on your journey as Dragon. It was kind of necessary considering the whole nemesis thing. During that time, you’ve gotten… close to Cinder.” Blake said, her finger tapping against her forearm anxiously. “You  _ know _ what she’s done to me. Why would- how-“ Blake sighed heavily and closed her eyes and lowered her head slightly, still refusing to look at Yang. 

“I- I don’t know if I should say.” Yang said carefully, rubbing the back of her neck anxiously. The last thing she wanted to do was to tell Blake the truth and give her false hope or for Blake to accidentally let something slip if she were to lose her temper with Cinder.

“Oh.” Blake said quietly, her ears pressing further against her head as a pained expression crossed her face. “Of course, it’s none of my business.” Blake muttered, a hurt note in her voice that made Yang’s chest constrict painfully. 

“Blake? Baby-“

“Don’t.” Blake said shakily, as she seemed to almost fold in on herself. “Please don’t. Not if- not if you and Cinder-“

“Wait. Me and Cin-“ Yang cut herself off as she realised where Blake’s mind had gone. “No! God, no! Why would you even-“

“... why else would you defend the woman that has made it her mission to destroy me?” Blake said, her voice low. “And who could blame you? I mean, she’s beautiful. She’s smart. She’s rich. Probably doesn’t have a single scar and she certainly doesn’t have a monster of an ex trying to get back at her through torturing her town.” Blake shifted, hugging herself tightly, her shoulders trembling slightly. “She’s not broken like I am.” She added in a whisper, obviously not intending for Yang to hear her.

But Yang did. And it hurt to hear. It hurt knowing that Blake would think that of her. But it hurt even more to know that Blake thought so little of herself that, to her,  _ Cinder Fall _ was a better option.

“If I had a choice, I wouldn’t touch that woman with a ten foot pole.” Yang said firmly, her heart in her throat. “I have my reasons, Blake, but Cinder fucking Fall sure as hell ain’t one of them.” She paused before continuing. “That bitch has  _ nothing _ on you. Ever since I met you, it’s always been _ you, _ Blake Belladonna.” Yang gently reaches over to turn Blake’s face to her and felt her heart break at the sight of tears pooling in her amber eyes as she opened them to look at Yang sadly. “You are the  _ best  _ thing that’s ever happened to me. Don’t ever think that you’re not worthy because you deserve so much more.”

“Yang…”

“You’re  _ not _ broken. No more than anyone else, babe.” Yang pressed her forehead to Blake’s and sighed softly. “I… I’ve been trying to get close to Cinder but not because I want to. I’ve been trying to earn her trust to get information out of her. To get a confession. To take her and her buddies down from the inside.” Yang confessed quietly, watching as Blake's eyes widened in shock. 

“Since when the fuck do you do stealth?” Blake asked, her voice thick. 

“Since some bitch decided to mess with you.” Yang said softly, moving to kiss away a tear that fell. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to tell you and get your hopes up or for you to let something slip or-“

“Could you give me a little more credit than that?” Blake sniffed, her voice cracking as she pulled back to stare at Yang. 

“I- I know. I should have. I’m sorry.” Yang said gently, keeping eye contact with Blake. “But just so you know? Every moment spent with that woman is, like, worse than our entire college experience. It’s worse that time Nora tried to jump off the roof during that storm and I had to catch her dumb ass.”

“Poor baby.” Blake’s lips twitched hesitantly into a smile before it fell again. She looked down at her hands and Yang watched as she inhaled deeply before turning back to Yang. “Did- did you mean what you said?”

“About?”

“Me being the best thing that ever happened to you.” Blake said, her ears twitching anxiously. “Because I can’t see it. I mean… you deserve so much better than what I have to offer and- you’ve gone through  _ so much _ because of me.” Blake looked away, looking as though she expected the worst. “Could you- do you think- do you think that… you could ever love me again?”

“Blake… baby.” Yang murmured as she gently gripped Blake’s chin and turned it softly towards her. She leaned forward and brushed their noses together, pausing for a moment at the surprised gasp that Blake let out before continuing. “I never stopped.” She paused before speaking again, this time, in a voice barely above a whisper. “Can I kiss you?”

“Please.”

Yang gently pressed forward, pressing a soft kiss to Blake’s lips. Blake almost instantly melted into, her hands moving to the sides of Yang’s neck as Yang’s own moved to rest on her waist. The kiss itself was soft and chaste, neither woman wanting anything more than this moment of reassurance that what they felt hadn’t died out.

“I love you.” Blake mumbled as they pulled back, tears pooling down her cheeks that Yang was quick to kiss away.

“I love you too, Blake.” Yang whispered into her skin. “More than you know, baby. I’m dedicated to you and you alone.”

“God.” Blake gave a watery laugh, gripping Yang’s shirt as she continued to kiss Blake’s cheeks and jaw, small, sweet kisses pressing into her skin. “You could at least take me out to dinner before sweeping me off my feet.”

“You say this but you’ve literally swept me off of my feet when we first fought.” Yang smiled softly into Blake’s neck and moved to rest her hands on her hips, frowning as Blake flinched. “Blake?” She asked, suddenly unsure of herself as she pulled away.

“Sorry.” Blake said quickly, reaching out for Yang’s hands and squeezing them. Her left ear flicked nervously. “I’m… my hip just… is kind of sensitive.”

“Can I ask why?” Yang asked carefully. “They, the hospital, refused to tell me what happened to you exactly. Is it- your hip- did he?”

“Um. It’s not pretty.” Blake said, her brow pinching, an expression of hurt and anger entering her eyes. “Adam- he tried to- he tried to brand me as his.”

“He what?” Yang said quietly, her voice shifting to a low growl as Blake shrugged helplessly. “That  _ mother fucker! _ ” Yang spat angrily, white hot rage flooding through her veins. 

“I said he  _ tried _ .” Blake said again, her hand moving to left up her black tank top and revealing a single line of scarred skin on her hip. “I didn’t let him. I… still hate it. It still reminds me of him and… it’s hard to look at but…” Yang felt her heart stutter as a golden fire flicked to life in Blake’s amber gaze, a spark that refused to go out despite what Taurus had put her through. “This was one battle that he didn’t win. I’m  _ not  _ his.”

“And you’re not mine, either.” Yang said softly, holding her hand out to Blake’s hip and looking to her for permission to continue. When Blake nodded, she carefully and gently placed her thumb over the scar and traced it, moving with care and love. “You’re your own woman. And for whatever reason that you see fit… you can  _ chose  _ me. I promise that I will  _ never _ make you regret that decision, beautiful.” 

“Beautiful?”

“Yeah.” Yang said as she moved her hands to cup Blake’s jaw and look into her awe filled eyes. “Every square inch of you, no matter what you think. Every scar and every crack and break that you think makes you less worthy is beautiful.”

“Yang?”

“Yes, Blake?”

“Could… you just… hold me? Please?”

  
  


Yang was only too happy to oblige.


	29. Implication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favourite engineer and reporter duo have spent some time healing and recovering together.
> 
> But it’s time for them to gear up because Adam isn’t going to wait forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 29 - Implication 
> 
> Second to last day, y’all. How are we feeling?

“Morning, baby.”

Blake smiled against Yang’s neck, moving to kiss the side of it affectionately as Yang, ran a hand down her back lovingly. It was almost overwhelming how every movement she made, every touch, seemed to be so full of love. It was so different to what she had known with Adam that it still took her by surprise, despite it being a couple of months since they had reunited and made up.

Granted, most of those months had been spent recovering and training as they prepared to take Adam on again but still.

“Good morning, gorgeous.” Blake murmured, her voice low and raspy from sleep. She lifted herself up and hummed happily into Yang’s lips, sighing in content as she pulled back and nuzzled Yang’s nose with her own. “Love you.”

“I love you too, Blake.” Yang whispered, reaching up to cup Blake’s jaw, her thumb brushing her cheek. 

The two stayed like that until Blake’s scroll went off and she rolled over (much to her girlfriend’s chagrin) to grab it. 

“Yang!” Blake squealed as arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. She wiggled and snorted as Yang kissed her neck, nuzzling against her before trapping her in a gentle hold that they both knew Blake could break out of if she wanted to. 

“You have your scroll. Let me cuddle you.” Yang whined, burying her face into Blake’s shoulder. 

“You’ve been cuddling me all night.”

“Yeah, but I was asleep and couldn’t kiss you and tell how gorgeous you are.”

“... you are dangerously cute, you know that?” Blake sighed as she reclined into Yang’s arms. She shivered as one of Yang’s hands came to rest protectively over her scar, her thumb gently stroking it. 

‘Replacing pain with love.’ Blake thought to herself before blushing at the complete and utter  _ cheesiness _ of the sentiment.

“Yeah, well. You love me.”

“I do love you.” Blake smiled when Yang froze, a small and shaky exhale grazing her neck before Yang’s arm curled tighter around her, her face pressing firmly into Blake’s neck. Blake presses back against Yang, biting her lip when Yang mumbled into her neck, soft adorations that she pressed into Blake’s skin lovingly. Blake sighed softly and opened the message on her scroll and read it.

And read it again.

And read it once more.

“Oh.” She breathed, her lips twisting into an excited grin. She threw her scroll back to the bedside table before turning around in Yang’s arms and cupping her jaw and kissing her firmly. She smiled against Yang’s lips when she let out a startled yelp before sinking into it, her arms holding Blake close until she pulled away. 

“Not that I’m complaining, babe, but what was that for?”

“Because I just got a message from Sun that might just tip the odds in our favour.” Blake smirked softly and kissed Yang’s nose. “I mean, I’m going to have to be the guinea pig but that’s fine. The schematics check out, the calculations, the A.I.” She paused to inhale shakily and gave Yang a watery smile. “We might actually stand a chance against him now.”

“I’m glad, baby… but what are you talking about exactly?”

“You’ll see. Sun’s dropping it off at lunch.” Blake said softly before shoving her head under Yang’s chin, earning an indignant grunt. “But for now… I believe you said something about wanting cuddles?”

“From you? Always.” Yang whispered, pulling Blake close and nuzzling the base of one of her cat ears gently. “You gorgeous, intelligent, amazing engineer you.”

Blake giggled and placed a small kiss to Yang’s collar before closing her eyes and allowing herself to rest in Yang’s care. 

“I love you.” Blake whispered, nuzzling as close as possible, turning her head to listen to Yang’s heartbeat. She felt her own heart stutter as Yang’s began to beat faster. 

“I love you too, Blake.”

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“So… its an elbow brace?”

Blake glanced up at Yang as she fiddled with the device. Yang wasn’t wrong, exactly. It did look like a simple, steel elbow brace made purely for the support of her elbow. But…

“Not quite, sweetheart.” Blake smirked. Was she about to shamelessly show off in front of her girlfriend? Yes. Was she embarrassed about it? Not in the slightest. 

With nothing more said, Blake pressed a button on the still brace and grinned as her sensitive feline ears picked up on the mechanical shifting from within the device. The black metal lit up with purple designs similar to her ribbon and glove. She watched as the metal plating shifted and moved, slowly encompassing her entire arm and making it look very similar to her prosthetic line. Finally, it covered her shoulder and the left side of her chest, protecting her heart, and locked securely around the right side of her neck.

Granted, she looked a bit like a cyborg but that was beside the point.

“Shroud.” Blake spoke firmly into her forearm, her ear flicking slightly. “Rise and shine.” An electronic beeping came from her arm, followed by an electronic, male sounding voice.

“Good afternoon, Miss Belladonna. Long time, no see.”

“Yeah, yeah, you overgrown tamagotchi.” Blake snorted, rolling her eyes. She still wasn’t sure how the artificial intelligence had developed a sarcastic sense of humour but here they were. “

“What the fuck.”

“Yang. Say hello to Shroud. He’s actually a part of my computing system at the office. I originally created him to make live easier for myself but I quickly came to use him for my work as Black Poison.” Blake smiled nervously at Yang’s slack jawed expression. “Yang?”

“Since when the fuck am I dating Ironman?!”

“Really?” Blake chuckled softly, her cheeks flushing as Yang stared at her in awe. “I’ve always identified more with Batman, honestly.”

“Because you’re both brooding Byronic heroes?” Shroud spoke up from Blake’s arm, earning an amused snort from Yang and an annoyed growl from Blake.

“I brought you into this world, Shroud, and I can take you out of it. Don’t test me.”

“Yes, mother.”

“Aw!” Yang cooed teasingly. “He has your sass, babe!”

“You’ll be sleeping on the couch if you keep this up.”

“I have my own room!”

“And yet, I find myself sleeping beside a space heater who’s an absolute cuddle fiend.” Blake said pointedly at Yang before speaking to her forearm again. “Shroud. Goodnight.” 

“As you wish, Miss Belladonna.” Shroud said before deactivating.

“But seriously Blake?” Yang said as she came up to Blake’s left and ran a hand over the armour now covering her left arm and chest. “This is amazing. It’ll guard your weak spot and heart. This is-“

“That’s not all. I still need to work with Shroud to add the finishing touches but… I’ve managed to use the schematics for Project: Aura and have them placed into my armour. Not only will my arm and chest be protected…” Blake said grinning up at Yang as she made a fist. “But so will the rest of my body. It’ll be limited, unfortunately. If I get hit too much or the Auric Charge runs out, then I’m just as vulnerable as I ever was. But this is going to give me an advantage.” Blake swallowed nervously before meeting Yang’s eyes. “And you too, if you’ll let me make a version for your shoulder.”

Yang stared at Blake for a moment before darting forward and stealing a quick kiss, pulling back to rest her forehead against Blake’s.

“Of course. If you think this will help us, then I’m game.” Yang paused before grinning cheekily at Blake. “Besides, you don’t get to have all the fun. The implication that you do is insulting.”

“Fun is debatable.” Blake sighed as she pressed a button on her arm and watched as it folded up. She removed it from her arm and placed it on the kitchen bench before slumping against Yang, who immediately pulled her close and kissed her cheek softly. “I… I’m scared, Yang. I don’t want to lose you.”

“I know. I feel the same way.” Yang said quietly, holding Blake close and resting her chin on Blake’s shoulder. “But I’m not going to give up.”

“I won’t either. I am  _ done _ letting him hurt me, my town and the woman I love.” Blake growled, tucking her face into Yang’s neck and drinking her in. 

“Baby.” Yang murmured. 

“Can… we go sit down? I kind of just… want to be near you right now.”

“Of course, beautiful.”

The two spent the remainder of that day holding each other and quietly talking, planning out their next moves and whispering words of adoration into each other’s ears.

Because only God knew the Hell that awaited them when they finally saw Adam Taurus again.


	30. Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, we enter hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 30 - Hell
> 
> This is it. The final day. I hope y’all are ready for it.

“I don’t like this plan, Blake.”

“I don’t either but you know as well as I do that it’s what we need to do.” Blake said from behind Yang as she placed the golden metal shoulder brace on her shoulder. “Baby.” Blake sighed when Yang set her jaw and refused to answer, her knee bouncing as she sat in her chair. “Sunshine.” Blake moved to press her lips to Yang’s jaw, lightly kissing her way up to her ear. “Kitten?”

“Don’t call me kitten.” Yang grumbled, smiling reluctantly as Blake chuckled into her ear. “I’m sorry. I just…”

“I know, baby.” Blake soothed, standing back up and making some adjustments to Yang’s brace. “But we need to do this. We need to fight him on our terms on territory where there’s no risk of civilians getting hurt or taken as hostages. We can’t let him turn our home into a casualty.” Blake hummed in satisfaction when the brace slid into place and quickly secured it. “And the best way to get him there is through me. He wants me to suffer and that lust for revenge is going to blind him.”

“So he’ll go after you the first chance he can get. You’ll fight him long enough for me to show up and then we’ll take him down together.” Yang sighed as she stood and stepped away from Blake and the table and turned to run her gaze over Blake’s new and improved gear. 

Blake now sported a sleeveless black, leather tunic. Her leather pants remained but her heeled boots now went up to mid shin. She had forsaken her jacket for the sake of making it easier to activate her own armour and Aura and her mask laid on the table beside them.

“Okay, hotshot.” Blake smirked, her cheeks flushed. “You can be a disaster later… when we’re not about to fight for our lives.”

“Hey!”

“Come on. Activate your arm.” Blake said as she held up her own armour covered arm, purple designs lit up. “Reach up to your shoulder and press the button.”

Yang inhaled deeply and did as instructed and soon, the golden metal began to shift, encompassing her arm up to her wrist, and across her chest and locking around her neck. The gold metal has black designs running through it that looked similar to fire and Yang found herself grinning.

“Baby, this is perfect.”

“Now activate Celica. I didn’t have time to give her much of a personality so she won’t be like Shroud.” Blake said nervously, rubbing her neck worriedly. “But she’ll monitor your vitals and your Aura and update you when you ask for it.”

“Blake. You made her so she’s perfect.” Yang said softly, smiling as Blake’s blush grew bigger. “Celica? Up and at ‘em.” Her arm gave an electronic beep before a robotic, feminine voice sounded from it.

“Good morning, Miss Xiao Long. Your vitals are perfect. Your Aura is at one hundred percent. Would you like to activate it?”

“No, thank you, Celica.” Yang grinned excitedly at Blake, who allowed her expression to shift into a slightly smug smirk. “Take a power nap, Celica.”

“As you wish, Miss Xiao Long.”

“Is it arrogant of me to say that I’m good at what I do?” Blake wondered out loud, placing her hands on her hips and shifting her weight to one foot. “Because  _ damn _ , I’m good at what I do.”

“Not if it’s the truth.” Yang chuckled as she walked over and sat back in her chair for Blake to run a quick check. “Beautiful, smart, compassionate… God, you’re just the whole package.”

“Hm.”

“Blake?” Yang called softly, biting her lip. “Just promise me that you’ll be careful. I don’t want to lose you.”

“Yang.” Blake murmured as she walked around Yang and came to stand between her legs. She cupped Yang’s jaw and tilted it up towards her, looking into her eyes. “I’ll be as careful as I can. We’re finishing this and I don’t plan on dying today.” She lowered her head to brush her nose against Yang’s affectionately. “You still need to take me out on our first date, after all.”

“God, I love it when you’re feisty.” Yang laughed softly, resting her hands on Blake’s hips. “So… before you head off, does your girlfriend get a goodbye kiss?”

“I think I can manage that.” Blake whispered before leaning down kissing her, smiling as Yang hummed against her lips. When Blake tried to pull back, Yang curled a gentle hand around her neck and pulled back in, not quite ready to let go. “I’ll be back by your side before you know it.” Blake said gently, pulling back and resting her head against Yang’s, her hands framing her jaw lovingly.

“I know.” Yang closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before looking back at her girlfriend. “Go.” She added softly, love and trust colouring her words as Blake backed up slowly and grabbed her mask, slipping it onto her face and walking to the door.

“Don’t keep me waiting  _ too  _ long, Golden Girl.” Blake called back over her shoulder as she blew Yang a quick kiss. “You don’t want to miss out on this.”

And with that, Blake slid out the door, leaving Yang behind to finish getting ready.

“Please be safe.”

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Yang let out a sharp growl as her rocket boots flew her over the abandoned flour mill just outside of town. Even from this distance, she could see that Blake had been disarmed and thrown to the ground. Without hesitation, she sped towards Adam and deactivated her boots before flipping to slam her feet into his chest, sending him back several feet before back flipping and landing on her knees.

“You know, the superhero landing wrecks havoc on the knees.”

Yang sent Blake a brief and amused look. 

“You!” Adam snarled, earning Yang’s attention once more.

“Yeah, me. How’s it hanging, Mini-Taur?” Yang grinned cheekily at him from under her mask, despite the ball of fear in her stomach. 

“What did you-“

“Oh my God. I can already hear the villainous monologue.” Yang groaned, as she heard Blake facepalm behind her. “You’re such an edgelord! Your name isn’t even that creative, dude. It has nothing to do with who you are or what you do! It’s literally just your actual name; Man Bull! How fucking intimidating.” Yang smirked as Adam’s hand clutched at his weapon, his knuckles turning white. “But wait… I guess it does make sense considering that you’re full of nothing but bullshit!” She quickly turned to Blake and smiled softly at her for a moment. “Catch your breath, babe. I can hold him off.”

With that, Yang punched her fists together and smirked as her Aura flared gold, making Adam take a step back in shock.

“Time to jump into the bullpen.” She chuckled lowly, flames leaping from her fists as she felt the energy of the sun bleed into her, feeding her power. “Bring it, Mini-Taur.”

Yang and Adam flew at each, ducking under and dodging blows. Yang kept a careful eye on  _ how _ hard she was striking, not wanting to give him more energy than was necessary. Her goal was to keep him busy until Blake could catch her breath. They didn’t stand a chance on their own but together, they did.

“Fuck!” Yang snarled as she dodged a pillar of cement. Adam sneered and threw a wave of fire at her, pushing back against her and sending her to the ground when she sat and turned to look at Blake. 

“You were supposed to stand by  _ my  _ side, Blake!” Adam said lowly, glaring down at them. “What happened to your promise?”

“I took it back and gave it to someone who  _ deserved _ it.” Blake hissed as she stood, lifting her head up to meet Adam’s gaze. “I gave it to somebody to  _ earned _ it. Who would  _ treasure  _ it as much as  _ I _ treasure  _ her _ .”

“So I just wasn’t good enough.”

“Stop victimising yourself, Adam.” Blake growled. Yang felt a burst of pride as she climbed to her own feet and watched Blake take a step forward. “You’re not the hero. You’re not the victim. You don’t get an apology. You don’t get pity. You get  _ nothing! _ ” 

“And you…” Adam turned his gaze on Yang, tilting his head at her. “Do you really believe-“

“Shut the fuck up.” Yang interrupted. “Take your gaslighting, manipulative ass and get out of our town.”

“You can’t protect her.”

“She doesn’t need to.” Blake said firmly, moving to take Yang’s left hand in her own, her armoured right hand clenched into a tight fist. “And I don’t need to protect her. We work together. We trust each other. And  _ that _ is far more than I ever got from you.”

“...I won’t let you go.”

“If you want me…” Blake snarled, dropping Yang’s hand and flexing her hand. Yang watched as her ribbon flew towards her, bringing with it one of her swords. Blake coiled the ribbon at her waist and angled the sword at Adam as she lifted her head proudly. “Then come take me.”

Blake and Yang sped off in opposite directions, keeping on opposite sides of Adam as they struck him, dodging his retaliating blows and grunting as he successfully hit them with his converted energy. 

“Yang!” Blake suddenly yelled, tackling Yang behind a large rock as Adam sent a tidal wave of water towards her.

“Fuck! Thanks!” Yang panted. “How’s your Aura looking?”

“Low. You?”

“Low. This is fucking insane.” She hissed as Adam began to talk, loudly gloating and boasting. “God, does he not have a cap on his power or something?!”

“I don’t know. I’ve never- wait. A cap- Yang! You genius!” Blake grabbed Yang by her shoulders, a familiar gleam entering her eyes. “We can’t overpower him… but we might just be able to over charge him.” Blake tilted her head at Yang. “How far can you push your powers?”

“Uh… there’s this one thing that’s pretty powerful… but I haven’t used it in years.”

“Baby, you might have to.” Blake said desperately. “Adam’s like a fucking battery. He keeps absorbing energy… but there has to be a limit. You put too much energy into something, it’s going to cut out.”

“It’s risky, Blake.”

“What other choice do we have?” Blake’s voice broke, her fear getting the best of her for the first time. “I  _ would never _ ask you to do this if I saw another way out.”

“I know, baby.” Yang inhaled deeply before nodding at her. “Okay. I need to focus and-“

“I’ll distract him.” Blake ducked forward to kiss Yang firmly, silencing the protest that she knew was coming. “You’ve got this, Gecko.” Blake winked before running out and launching a new attack on Adam.

“Goddamn it!” Yang hissed angrily. “Alright. Okay. I can do this! I’ve got this!”

She inhaled deeply and held out her hands, focusing on bringing the fire in her hands to life.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“You’re a coward!”

“You’re selfish!”

“You’re mine!”

“And you’re delusional!” Blake snarled as she parried Adam’s strikes, grunting as he kept pushing her back. “We don’t have to do this! Just leave! Move on, Adam!”

“Never!” Adam hissed as Blake dodged another strike. “Control is mine! Power is mine!“

“What was that about power?”

Adam stepped back from Blake and both of them stared, he in outrage and she in awe, as Yang stepped forward, making careful movements with her hands. But that isn’t what they were staring at.

No, it was the giant, Eastern dragon made of fire that flew through the air and protectively circled around Yang, fire spilling from its entire body.

“What  _ are _ you?!” Adam growled, stepping forward and pointing his blade at Yang, fury clear on his face.

“Strength.” Blake breathed out in awe. “She’s strength.”

“You want more energy, right, Adam?” Yang snarled breathlessly, her legs beginning to shake as she exerted herself. “Then take it.”

And with that, she sent the dragon charging into Adam, striking his chest as Blake dived out of the way and moved a safe distance away. But as the fire disappeared, Adam began to laugh.

“You imbecile. You just-“

“Adam.” Blake interrupted, tilting her head at him and clicking her tongue disapprovingly. “You have more energy inside of you than you’re capable of expending. You can’t use it.”

“What do you-“

“I mean… you could… but it would only be your downfall.” Blake explained simply, silently pleading with Adam to make the right choice for once in his life. “You use it, you die.”

“You’re bluffing.” Adam chuckled. “This is just your pathetic attempt to scare me off. Well, I’m afraid it won’t work, my love. Now, you’ll have to watch your beloved Dragon die, knowing that it was all your fault.”

Adam threw his hand out towards Yang… but his runes didn’t light up. He stared at his hand in confusion, seemingly baffled.

“What-“

“I tried to warn you.” Blake said, ignoring the stab of guilt in her chest. She was not responsible for the decisions of a monster. 

Adam let out a pained snarl, his hand moving to clutch at his chest as steam began to lift from his body. That was the moment his tunes lit up, blood red, across his entire body. He fell to his knees, curling into a ball as he collapsed into his side, pained gasps leaving him as he laid there.

“And now, your powers are trying to correct the balance that you disturbed.” Blake swallowed thickly as she approached him, her sword trembling in her hands. Adam was burning from the inside out, his skin beginning to blister and burn. Blake felt her ears press against her head, desperately trying to block out the sound of his suffering gasps. 

“You did this to me!” Adam wheezed, as he stared at Blake with pure hatred. “I hope you take pleasure in it!”

“You did this to yourself.” Blake said her voice shaking as she carefully used her foot to flip him onto his back. “Every choice that you’ve made has led you to this point in time, Adam. And I assure you that I take no celebration in it. There’s no pleasure. There’s no joy. Because for as hard as you tried, you failed to turn me into a monster.” Blake adjusted her grip and raised her sword, holding it over his heart. “This is mercy. For my soul as much as it is for your suffering.”

“Wait!” Adam gasped out as he stared up at Blake pitifully. “Forgive me! Help me go in peace!”

Blake blinked. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to manipulate her one last time. To get in her head and have the final win. But Blake knew better than to believe his words. 

Blake Belladonna lifted her sword and sent it down into Adam Taurus’s heart, refusing to give him the dignity of an answer.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Yang watched, jaw dropping as Blake sent her sword into Adam’s heart. The man’s body stilled, steam still raising from his tortured body.

“Fuck.”

Yang glanced up at Blake as she removed her sword and walked away from Adam’s body. She dropped her sword and raised her hands to her mask as she stepped, removing it and dropping it to the floor. She took two more staggering steps forward before she fell to her knees with an anguished cry; rage and pain and grief bleeding into her voice. Yang was in her feet and sliding to a stop behind her and pulling her into her arms, tucking Blake’s head under her chin as broken sobs left her throat. 

Blake cried tears of anger for the years of abuse she endured. She cried tears of pain for suffering she had seen. She cried tears of grief for the little girl that was swallowed by the shadows. And she cried tears of relief for the freedom that was won. And throughout it all, Yang held her. Loved her and cried with her.

It was over. It was done. And now, they could truly begin to heal from the hellish trauma that was Adam Taurus…

Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But we’re not done yet. Stay tuned for an epilogue!


	31. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And thus, a story draws to a close.

“Oh no!” A terrified nurse shrieked as Blake stepped out of the shadows and smirked evilly at the children sitting in their beds. “Whatever are we going to do?!”

“No!”

“Dragon will save us!”

“Yeah! Dragon’s gonna kick your butt!”

“Oh, is she now, little ones?” Blake cooed at the children, who were all bouncing excitedly in their beds. “I fail to see where your pretty hero is. Perhaps she ran away?”

“Think again, foul fiend!” 

Blake bit her tongue to stop from laughing at the overjoyed faces that turned to face Yang- sorry,  _ Dragon,  _ as the golden hero jumped through the open window.

“See kids?” The nurse said, pointing at Dragon. “Dragon’s come to save us!”

“That I have, citizens. Black Poison doesn’t stand a chance against the mighty Dragon of Vale!”

Blake grinned as her girlfriend- Uh…  _ nemesis  _ ran towards her and threw a punch that she easily dodged. She grabbed a golden armoured arm and used it to throw the hero to the ground in front of the children.

“Oh no! She beat me!” Dragon cried out dramatically as the children gasped in horror. “But wait… I know how to defeat her once and for all! But I need you guys to help me. Can you do that?”

“Yeah!”

“What do we do?!”

“I’m going to kick her butt!”

“We need to defeat her… with the power of love!”

Blake tried very hard not to roll her eyes. She really did.

“So…” Dragon grinned cheekily at Blake and pointed at her. “Go get her!”

“No! Anything but love!” Blake cried out dramatically, as she let the children run up and tackle her to the floor. She was careful to catch them and make sure that they didn’t get hurt as she collapsed. “No! I’m melting! Melting all over the world! My heart is growing! I can feel the evil leaving my soul! Oh! You have defeated me! Bleh!” Blake fell limp against the floor and tried not to giggle at the sounds of children celebrating above her. 

“And now, I shall take her back to my lair so that I can teach her to be good.” Dragon said seriously as she scooped Blake up into her arms. “Thank you, young heroes. Never stop being kind to people.”

Blake waited until Yang had taken them up to the rooftop before she rolled into her side and giggled, helpless laughter flowing from her as Yang removed her helmet and laughed with her.

“Oh my God. They’re so cute!” Blake giggled, wiping her eyes as Yang pulled her close. They say against the stairwell, door now locked to stop anyone from finding them. “Aw, my heart hurts.”

“You got a little dramatic at the end there, baby. A Wizard of Oz  _ and _ a Grinch reference?” Yang dropped her head to Blake’s neck and kissed it softly. “You’re such a ham.”

“Says you. You sound like an after school special, sweetheart.” Blake chuckled before turning to catch Yang’s lips with her own. “But I guess that’s why we’re perfect for each other.”

“If we have kids, they are going to be so embarrassed.”

“Good.” Blake chuckled, her heart skipping a beat at the idea of starting a family with her girlfriend. “Now… shall we go home?”

“You go on ahead. I have something to sort out.” Yang said softly as she kissed Blake once more before putting on her helmet. “Hero duties and all that, babe.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Blake laughed as she waved Yang off. “Go do your thing, Golden Girl.

As Yang saluted her, Blake watched her go, a small adoring smile on her face. She didn’t think that she could love this woman anymore than she already did.

At least… not until she turned on the news that night and watched as the mighty Dragon of Vale arrested Cinder Fall for a while list of crimes that went over Blake’s head for the moment.

And when Yang came home that night, she quickly found herself pulled into a deep kiss by Blake, who made it her mission to pepper kisses along every square inch of Yang’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s all she wrote for this fic.
> 
> Thank you all so much for coming in this journey with me. It’s been a lot fun and it’s had its challenging moments but it was an utter joy to write.
> 
> Next month is going to be a little different. The first two weeks will be one fic (knightly Blake and Princess Yang) and the two after that will be another (Bi-rate Queen Blake.)
> 
> This is to give me a bit of a break from a heavy storyline.
> 
> I hope that you’re excited for it as much as I am 😊


End file.
